Fate Works in a Funny Way
by gxldentrio
Summary: Lily despised James and all of his maneurisms. James hated how she was always so uptight. But with head duties, common friends, and a curious Divination seminar, neither of them is ready to look at each other the same way again. Marauders Era, 7th Year.
1. Of Potions and Last Words

So, hullo guys! This is my first ever Jily fanfiction, and my first work here on this website! I really hope you like it! Please review it and tell me where I could do better! I am going to try to write longer chapters, so bear with me on this first one.

None of the characters belong to me, as I am not the great and powerful JKRowling.

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><p>She is mad. McGonagall has gone mad. Why would <strong>anyone<strong> force us to be up at 9 in the morning on a Saturday, for a _Divination_ seminar? Most of us don't even _take_ Divination anymore! Did I mention that it's before 10 on a bloody Saturday? Back me up on this, come on, you know I am right.

Right, just my luck. Toerag Potter just decided to take over the Head bathroom. "Hey, I don't think your hair needs that much time you know?! It's gonna be all messed up anyways!"

"Sod off, Evans."

There, just like that. And what in the heavens did I do to deserve this torture might I add? James Potter, Head Boy? Dumbledore has gone off is rocker. _Still_ not worse than McGonagall.´I still can't believe she is forcing us to come to a bloody Divination seminar. Who cares about Divination anyways? Well, I guess she wouldn't have had to literally force us if anyone signed up for it, but still. You'd think they'd give NEWT students a break, but _no._ Now I will be stuck in a dusty classroom all bloody morning because Ms. Seeker has a seminar to deliver. And to help my case, my excuse of a Head Boy takes more time putting on his make up than me.

"What are you even doing in there?!"

"You sure you want to know, Evans?"

"You are disgusting, and I hate you."

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><p>"Earth to Lily?!" Alice snapped me out.<p>

"What?"

"We're about to go in."

We got in and I was reminded instantly why I dropped Divination – all that incense in the air didn't work for my allergies.

"Sit down, sit down…" The seminar began and I dozed off, until some weird scent caught my nose.

"In front of me is a curious little potion" Ms. Skeeter explained – but I thought this was Divination? That's what you get for falling asleep. Quite the model student huh? "It's supposed to smell differently to every one – no, it's not Amortentia – it's supposed to smell differently to every person because all of you will have a different future, a different fate. I want you to line up, and, taking turns, each one of you will experience a unique sort of dream. And you will each say out loud your last dying words. But I want you to be very careful because the things you say can change the way you look at your life forever. Scared cats are not wanted."

People started to line up, but I only really listened to the people I care about. Marlene was the first to taste the potion, like, really at the front of the line. She went wide-eyed all of a sudden and she said, in the most panicked and desperate voice "Please stop, please stop!". And then she snapped out of it, but her eyes remained wide and she was not quite the same.

It was Remus' turn and when he spoke, he spoke calmly "I love you." And I was actually quite surprised because I hadn't seen him go out on a date since, well, _ever._ But I was pleased that, at least, he will be happy when he goes. When Sirius tasted the potion he just laughed, and somehow, I was not surprised even one bit – of course he would die laughing, but sadly he will not be the last to laugh.

I was getting closer and closer to the cauldron, and I must admit, I was far more curious than scared. I was scared, a lot, actually, but I was even more excited.

"Lily Evans." I stepped forward. The potion tasted bitter in my mouth, and it smelt like snow and grass after it had been rained upon. My thoughts got blurry and all I could see was a green flash of light and when I opened my mouth, the only thing coming out was "Mama loves you. Dada loves you. Harry be safe, be strong." And then I could think again. _Who is Harry_? Obviously my future child. But to think that I'll die in front of him? It's a strange feeling, knowing your last words.

"James Potter" and he stepped forwards, just like I did a few minutes ago, and even though he irked me - with his pranks and his showing off, and the snitch he carries around _everywhere,_ and the way he always messes up his hair – I couldn't help but to be curious. Will he die laughing, just like is fellow Marauder? Will he go happy, like Remus will? Nothing prepared me for what came out of his mouth.

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! I'll try to hold him off — just go!" he said panicked and I could tell he was crying, even if I didn't dare myself to look at him. **_Lily,_**_ take **Harry**_**.** The whole hall was a blur as I ran to the Head dorm.


	2. Of Arguments and Realizations

Hi guys, it's me again, with a brand new chapter! I know, I know the first chapter is a little short, but this one is twice as long! I am going to try to write around 2000 words per chapter, do you think that's good?

I can't believe how well you responded to the last chapter! It was incredible! Thank you guys so much, over a hundred views and 3 reviews after less than 2 days! That is amazing!

Disclaimer: None of the characters or world belong to me as I am not the wonderful JKRowling we all know and love.

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><p>As soon as I got to my room I dove into my bed, although it didn't really help to sleep on an empty stomach. Still, I wasn't going to dinner. Did you even know how gossip spread around Hogwarts? It was insane! Didn't those people have lives? And I was going to have to face Potter! <em>Well that's cute, Evans<em>. I was sure there were lots of Lily's in the world, and lots of Harry's too. I didn't even believe in Divination! And neither did half the school! But, of course, because it was me and Potter, Potter and me, _everyone_ was interested. _Well it looks like you finally admitted yourself you worship him_. See? That was going be everyone for at least a month! What did I even do? Holy Heavens.

With that thought in my mind I drifted off to sleep, where I was as restless as if I remained awake. Tomorrow was going to royally suck. I spent the rest of the weekend stuck in bed, not talking to anyone, but not quite resting either. I was a mess.

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><p>Good Lord Lily, get a grip, it's eight am. <strong>It's 8 am<strong>! Oh my god, I was so late. I jumped out of my bed and tugged at my hair while I quickly put on my robes. I didn't shower, I didn't have breakfast, and I didn't even have time to brush my teeth! I was the lamest Head Girl Hogwarts ever had. By the time I reached the Dungeons (Potions. I was so done with potions.) It was 8 and a half, and professor Slughorn just started his lecture.

"Professor I am so incredibly sor-"

"It's alright Lily, just come in." He said with a slight small on his lips. "Today, I have a quick pop quiz for you to take. It has important preparation tasks and questions that can be in your NEWT's exams, so I'd try hard to pay attention. I hope you have been studying regularly because this year is not one for fooling around." He sad, now with a frown on is face, a line of worry tracing his forehead. He did some wandless magic and the sheets of parchment were distributed between each student. "You have 40 minutes. Begin, and good luck!"

_Question 1: What are the main differences between the Draught of Living Dead and a simple Cheering Potion? Please take accountant the ingredients, texture and color of the potion and not their effects._

How was I supposed to know that? Alright it was important knowledge and information, but it was practically impossible to tell them apart!_ The Draught of Living Dead is, just like the Cheering Potion, a creamy violet liquid._ That was literally it. They were the same. But the cheering potion always looked prettier though. _However, while the Draught has tints of grey and black, the Cheering Potion has a tendency to form rays of white and blue._ Oh, and I remembered my sixth year project with Potter about beetlejuice. Potter… He hadn't glanced over here the entire lesson. Well, yeah, we were in the middle of an exam – that never stopped him before though._ While in this potion you add the juice of 3 squished beetles, in the Draught of Living Dead you only had two._

The rest of the quiz went just the same, some random knowledge popping up, but most of it was made up. Questions 4 and 7 were especially tricky, but I hoped I hadn't completely ruined my grade. I thought I should have revised this better but I couldn't do anything yesterday! I was dead by shame, that's what happened.

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><p>"Hey Lily" Marlene greeted me.<p>

"Hey Marls, how did it go?"

"It was awful! Who even cares about potions?" she asked with annoyance.

"Well" I frowned "It's actually quite important, especially if you still want to become a Healer."

"Well I know that! But it's just so bloody difficult! Mind studying with me next Saturday?"

"We can't, next Saturday is a Hogsmead weekend."

"Alright" she conceded defeated. A quick grin formed in her lips. "But I want details."

"What details?!" She might ask me about Potter. No, she wouldn't.

"What's up with you and James?" and I could see the mischief sparkle in her eyes "Since you are going to end up together with your little baby Harry, the cutie."

"Do you even believe that Divination crap? It's all of bunch of bollocks, like I'd ever like a prick like Potter."

"Alright, alright, just saying." Her blond hair fell just by her shoulder and she brushed it off as she spoke. "But apparently you bought that Divination crap since you spent all weekend holed up in your bloody room."

"I did not do such thin-"

"McKinnon. Evans." James _The Prick_ Potter greeted us. He was so annoying, with that crooked smile and laid-back attitude. How did he even keep it that way? Was he not affected by what happened Saturday? I was sure Sirius would mess with him.

"Hey James." Marlene flashed him a quick smile "I'm gonna head to Herbology, is that alright Lily? _Enjoy your free period_!" but she didn't even wait for my answer and as soon as she came she was out of my sight.

"We need to talk."

"In case you have failed to notice, Evans, we are talking."

"See? This is exactly why we need to talk! You are being the most obnoxious git of all times and-"

"Is this why you wanted to talk? Because I really don't have time for your bullshit, flower."

"Ugh! How are you so, so **you!?** With everything that happened Saturday? Doesn't it even bother you? I am sure you believe that crap, you always liked Divination, I don't even know why you dropped it…" And I was rambling. It was his fault! He always riled me up. "The point is…"

"Been watching me, Evans?"

"No! Of course not! You're a prick and you annoy me. But explain this weird reaction if you please!"

"Well, I am not exactly pleased by it either you know?"

"Then why're you so-" and then I was brutally interrupted, what a way to go Potter, really.

"The thing is, flower, I just woke up today, and I thought 'What would Lily Evans do?'

"So? I don't exactly strut around the castle, that's not how I am reacting to this, at all!" I screamed, frustrated! Why did he have to make everything so bloody complicated? Trying to anger me, criticize my 'bullshit'… Stupid git.

"But you see, Evans, when you don't like something, don't you just pretend it doesn't exist?" His words felt like a punch in the gut. And as I was left in the hall dumbstruck he just turned around and left, like I had so many times before.

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><p>I headed to the library, because as lame as that was, it always helped me calm down. I grabbed my favorite Charms book, and I occupied the big armchair by the Transfiguration aisle, but the book soon lost its interest as my mind wandered into other areas of my life.<p>

_When you don't like something, don't you just pretend it doesn't exist?_ Why did I have the feeling he hadn't meant something, but more like someone? Who had I ever even ignored? I was a decent person, most of the time! And I knew I shut him out most of last year, but anyone would have done the same if someone used you as trading currency to stop bullying your best friend. Not that Severus was any better. They both needed to sort out their priorities, that's what they needed. Potter needed to learn the fuck up that girls were not trophies and Severus was a lost cause. Bloody bumbling band of baboons, that's what they were. I was done trying to save people who didn't want any help.

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><p>"Soooo, how did it go?"<p>

"I hope you realize Marlene, I still haven't forgiven you for leaving me to die back there."

"It couldn't have been that bad!" Marlene argued with a playful frown dancing on her face. That was weird phrasing but that's what it looked like, really.

"Really? Is that so?" was my witty response. _Smooth, Evans._ "Potter is a prick who is acting like nothing happened, because 'that's what Lily does, she ignores things when she doesn't like them, so we should all act like her because she is bloody perfect' and it irritates me because why would he think that low of me?"

"Well" she started "you did ignore him for nearly an entire year. And I know, I know you had good reasons to do so, but can't you see he's grown up? And you don't even give him a second chance! You keep insulting him like it comes as easy to you as breathing and then you give him an earful after he tries to move on!"

"Yeah well, you're not really understanding it." I muttered.

"Tell me one thing Lily." She said suddenly pensive. "If today was your last day, would you try to make amends with Snape?"

"**Of course not**!" I was outraged "Or do you not remember how he so graciously called me a mudblood in front of everyone?"

"And would you try to talk to James?"

"Well, _duh,_ but that's not really the point here." I was exasperated. The famous 'Marlene Talks' always gave me a headache.

"That's exactly the point Lily." She concluded "Just go talk to him. And don't rush into things, you have a hot temper. But sleep first, you'll feel better." She added.

And I did just as she said. I wouldl talk to him. Tomorrow, definitely. Probably. Fuck my life.

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><p><strong>AN: **So, how did you guys like this chapter? Is it better than the last one? Is it worst? What do you think of the relationships between the characters? Do you like the dialogue? Is it too mainstream or too sweet or too rude? Is the lack of Marauders annoying you? Is there too much Marlene? Let me know by leaving a review! Thank you for reading!


	3. Of Classes and Letters

Hey guys! Oh my god, I am loving your response to my story! Thank you so much! I know, I know I set my goal to 2000 words per chapter, but this time I really outdid myself. **Over three thousand words guys!** I hope you have a Happy New Year! Please, don't forget to review and share this story!

Disclaimer: Not that you thought I was, but I am not Jo. Sorry about that.

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><p>The sun shined through the curtains and I dreaded having to wake up, especially if I was going to face Potter and apologize to him. Could you imagine? He'd die of shock! Lily Evans apologizing to James Potter? That was unusual. I rolled around only to find Marlene's barn owl, Leeyana, pecking on my window.<p>

_Don't you dare back out now, little miss. Go talk to him. –M _

Of course. Of course Marlene would do that. She was always pushing us to do the things we dreaded the most.

I collected my clothes and I headed to the shared Head Bathroom. I locked my shower and closed the scarlet curtains, and I let the warm water wash away my worries as the apple scent of my shampoo took over the room.

_What am I going to say to him? I am going to make a complete fool of myself! _I thought worried, borderline desperate.

I wrapped my towel around my body and magically dried my hair, otherwise it was going to be awful frizzy. I dressed myself in my uniform and quickly brushed my hair. I stepped towards James' bedroom door and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Sirius Black was inside. "James isn't here, he went… uh, to the… he went to the owlery… yeah." His grey eyes and the hesitation on his voice betrayed him.

"Oh, okay Sirius, well, when you find him, tell him I need to speak with him please." I was both pleased and worried that James wasn't in his room. Well, what reason would Sirius have to lie to me? Obviously Potter put him up for this. I didn't even know why I bothered.

"Can do, Evans." He smirked. "But what do you need Prongs for?"

"Head Duties." I easily lie, one of my least favorite qualities showing. I was fantastic at lying, especially at lying to myself, but I dreaded doing it and often resorted not to.

"Alright then." I could tell he was not convinced by that, but he didn't press the subject either. "Care for breakfast?"

"Sure." I told him, nodding politely, and he walked with me, not quite together, to the Great Hall for some pumpkin juice and toast.

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><p>"Good morning!" Alice said cheerfully, her blue eyes shining, even though it was so early in the morning. "Hullo Sirius! Nice of you to join us for breakfast!" Her blonde hair fell into her face and she blew it away softly. "Marlene asked me to give you this Lils."<p>

Alice handed me a tiny rectangle of folded parchment that read _'Have you talked to him? Do it! –M' _I closed my eyes and sighed.

"Is everything alright Lily?" Alice asked me concerned.

Let me tell you about Alice. Alice Fortescue was one of my best friends (along with Marlene) and she was the nicest girl I had ever met. She was always worried about other people's happiness and she actually knew how to comfort someone. She knew how to listen, and she always knew what to say. Marlene was brilliant, but she could be a little harsh, because she was so straight-forward, which was a great virtue, but because of that sometimes she could come out as tactless. I loved them both very much though.

"Yes, of course Alice" I flashed her a quick smile before I turned to Sirius "Seriously Black, where is everyone? James is '_in the owlery'_ but what about Remus and Peter?"

"Look, to be honest I haven't the foggiest, I kind of fell asleep in the kitchens last night; Prongs found me while he was going to the North Tower." He admitted, slightly tilting his head to the side as he spoke "Shouldn't take them too long though, Peter is usually an early riser and he tends to drag us lot with him."

"How about Frank?" Alice asked, trying to unsuccessfully hide the blush that had quickly crept on her cheeks.

"What about Frank, 'Lice?" Sirius smirked knowingly and as soon as he looked at me, I did too. Alice and Frank were those 'people who loved each other but the other didn't know even though it was obvious' you could find in every group of friends. It was strange to think of us as a group of friends, when we really were a small, weird family, me, Alice, Frank, Marlene and the Marauders. Sirius was like my annoying brother.

"Nothing, nothing…" She trailed off, blushing even harder.

"Good morning" Remus and Peter greeted us, while they sat on either side of Alice (me and Sirius were sitting across the table). "Didn't see you come up last night Padfoot, had much fun?" Remus mocked him.

"Hey Remus, hey Peter" I greeted them, a smile tugging at the corner of my lips "Have you seen James?"

"Not really" Peter conceded, a little bummed out. He took a piece of toast and shoved it unattractively in his mouth.

"You should talk to him" advanced Remus "the Ravenclaw prefects broke up again and are cross about having to patrol together."

"Will do, thanks Remus." I had always appreciated his effort towards trying to make rounds, which were quite boring, more pleasant for everyone.

"Did I hear that right? Is Bell single again?" Marlene arrived content.

"I wouldn't hope for too much McKinnon" Sirius intervened, smirking "You know they are always on and off. Besides, Bell's too much of a kicked puppy to let go of Baker just like that."

"The bloke's fit though." She admitted, faux defeated. "Alice, Lils, should we head to Charms?"

"Sure, let me just go get my bag" I turned to Alice "Do you guys wanna go without me? It might take me awhile."

"No, it's fine, we'll stay here a little more" Alice relaxed in her seat. "Hey Remus, do you mind going over my Arithmancy assignment? I'm having a little bit of trouble with the last couple of equations."

Their voices drifted off as I got up from my seat and walked out of the Great Hall. As soon as I turned the left corner, I bumped into a solid mass.

"I'm sorry" I stuttered shyly, but that soon turned into an enormous relief as I didn't just walk all over someone, but instead collided with a bespectacled, messy-haired boy. "James."

"Lily" His hazel eyes avoided my gaze carefully "look, I really don't have time right now, so if you could just…" he added sheepishly.

"I want to talk to you." I pleaded, holding back his arm.

"I think you talked enough yesterday, didn't you?" he asked me, a slightest twinge of hurt flashing through his eyes, but it disappear so quickly that I was left wondering if I had imagined it all along.

"No… I mean, I wanted to apologize." I admitted, and he stopped in his track, surprised by my confession. "It's obvious I misjudged you. I guess I didn't want to believe you had listened to me and _actually_ grown up." I finished lamely.

"Wait…" he shook is head in disbelief "Do you really think I grew up because of _you_?!"

"I… didn't…"

"There's a bloody war going on out there, have you noticed?" He exclaimed loudly in frustration.

"That's not what I meant! Damn it James!" I argued angrily. "Don't you get it! I am here, and I am sorry! I am sorry I shut you out last year, I am so sorry, but you just… _Shit_ James!" The silence is deafening, and tears are starting to well up behind my eyes.

"Lily…" he finally broke the void "calm down, please. People are stopping to watch." He added, weary.

"I… I need to go… I… I, um, I am sorry I wasted your time… I should get going, yeah, um, bye." I stormed off towards the third floor, embarrassed. I felt so foolish. I am sure it didn't look like it, but I really put myself out there. Because, even though he had screwed up many, many times in the past, I have begun to realize he really isn't all that bad. And I guess he still sees me as the stuck-up prig who enjoyed putting him down. I didn't. Enjoy it, I mean.

I hastily grabbed my book bag from underneath my bed and headed down to Charms, trying not to dwell in my recent interaction with James. I sat down on my chair next to Marlene, and tried to avoid looking her in the eye.

"Hey, James came to breakfast right after you left. It's a shame you missed him." She said, her thoughts in the clouds "It was probably better that you haven't spoken to him yet, he looked awful this morning." Instead of replying I focused my attention on Professor Flitwick's lecture about weather charms.

"It is very important to twist your wrist and not your elbow, because you will end up setting fire to something." Professor Flitwick dwelled on and on about the correct wand movements. "Miss Evans, would you mind demonstrating for the class?"

"Of course professor." I said cheerfully. Had I mentioned I was _brilliant_ at Charms? Not so good at Transfiguration though, that was Potter and Black's area of excellence. I twisted my right wrist as I muttered the incantation '_Novo Nebula_' and outside, the sun quickly set and was replaced by some nasty looking grey clouds.

"Well done, miss Evans. You have yet to disappoint me." I smiled when I heard the positive reaction. No matter what was going on in my life, I could always use little Professor Flitwick as my own personal Cheering Charm. James was swiftly swept under the rug for the rest of the morning.

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><p>"Bloody hell, I am starving!" Alice dragged her feet with me towards the Great Hall. It was just after noon, and I had to admit, I too was overwhelmingly hungry.<p>

"Geez woman, do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" I laughed loudly. I was a pretty happy person. I wouldn't say content, with all that's happened with Snape and Petunia, but I wasn't one to dwell on things I couldn't change. I chose to laugh a great deal, because, even if I was feeling down, I wouldn't be on the receiving end of the _Pity Lane_.

"It's not my fault!" Alice defended herself, a wide smile stretched onto her lips "Blame my nagging stomach!"

"I am not so sure Frank likes nagging body parts" I half-mocked Alice, before I realized the implications of my words "Oh my god, that came off so wrong!" We walked to the Great Hall laughing out loud, in our own bubble.

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><p>James wasn't in the Great Hall for lunch. In fact, none of the Marauders were, not even Peter. I knew I have no business being concerned, when they were probably just planning out some prank. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something happened. Marlene didn't come either, but she warned us she was going to have lunch with Lucas Bell. The girl is persistent, I'll give her that.<p>

Alice was chatting with Frank a couple of seats away, and not wanting to intrude, I stood up, ready to go to the library, to revise my Transfiguration essay before handing it over this afternoon. Just as I was passing the second floor corridor I heard them, but their words didn't soothe me as I was expecting.

"James! James Potter!" Sirius was yelling at a mirror, Peter and Remus looking into a large piece of parchment. "Prongs!"

"Hey Lily." Remus was frowning, but still managed to form a weak smile "You haven't seen Prongs by any chance, have you?"

"No, I haven't." I admitted "I got a little worried when neither of you came for lunch. Why was that?" I asked, curious.

"James stormed off right after the class ended" Peter stepped in, munching on an english muffin "We have been trying to find him for nearly forty minutes."

"Why is Sirius yelling at a mirror? How can that help?"

"It's a two way mirror, James has the other apart of the set." Remus explained "We were trying to find him using the map."

"The map?" I wrinkled my nose at this piece of information.

"Oh… It's just a map that locates people." Peter tried to explain without letting too much information escape, but his efforts weren't worth a thing since I managed to glance at the so called map.

"It's a lot more than that, isn't it?" I asked them "It's amazing! How did you manage to get one of these?" I was amazed.

"We made it, actually, Evans." Sirius had finally stopped talking to the object in his hand and finally acknowledged me.

"You did not!" Their faces told me the contrary. "You did?! This is fantastic!" I was in awe. "Suddenly the Marauders don't seem as impressive anymore." I told them jokingly, when in fact, they seemed even more impressive. How did a bunch of kids – alright, not _kids_ anymore – manage to come up with something as brilliant?

They laughed and shook their heads. "Do you want any help? I don't know James all that well, but maybe I can go look in some of my hiding places." I suggested.

"Alright" Remus conceded "I suppose two heads are better than one." At this, Sirius and Peter's heads perked up. "Oh don't look at me like that, you're both daft." Me and Remus laughed but promptly turned it into a very convincing coughing fit if I do say so myself.

"I am going to go then." I said my goodbyes and turned around. It looks like McGonagall is going to have to content herself with my current draft of the essay. It should be enough for an Exceeds Expectations though – I had stopped trying to achieve an O in Transfiguration since sometime last year.

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><p>I climbed the tricky stairs of Hogwarts all the way to the sixth floor. I knew for a fact James wouldn't be in the library, so I tried my next best option: The Room of Requirement. Not many people knew about this secret room, but I figured, if I did, the other person in the whole castle who would too, would be loud, curious, mischievous James. I wouldn't be surprised if he found it by accident, on the second year, because he need the <em>bathroom<em>. He had that kind of luck.

I walked three times in front of the wooden door of the broom cupboard that hid the room, and found it blocked, which meant someone was already inside; I just hoped it wasn't a couple shagging. I knocked – no one answered. It could only be James.

"Potter?" I asked gloomily. "You there?"

"Go away Evans." He said, but I found the wooden door unblocking, letting me in.

The room was dark, every possible window was closed. There wasn't much in the room, except for a fireplace, and two scarlet armchairs, very similar to the ones in the Gryffindor common room. As soon as I saw his face I knew what I had to do. I wished for an owl, and Leeyana magically showed up. I quickly scribbled a note for Sirius, and attached my Transfiguration paper.

_"__I found James. Don't worry. We aren't going to transfiguration. Please give her my essay and tell her we had Head Duties. - L.E."_ I bid the barn owl goodbye and opened the window for her.

"What are you doing here, Evans?" James asked me, not meeting my eyes.

"We were worried. Sirius and the others were looking for you all lunch." I carefully told him, not wanting to tick him off "I am not surprised this room wasn't in the map."

"The _map_? You know about the _map_?" He asked me bummed out, but at the same time, I found relief in his now dull eyes.

"Yeah… I do. I didn't until today though. They also showed me the mirror." His head shot upwards "I kinda walked in on them looking. Where did you put your mirror? Sirius was nearly shouting in the corridor?"

"Why do you care? Shouldn't you be in Transfiguration right now?" He asked, his voice abnormally quiet.

I was very careful with my words. James wasn't _sad_. He was completely helpless. "I sent Sirius a note. He's gonna tell McGonagall we have Head Duties."

"What do you mean by _we_?"

"I mean, I am staying here." I said, not even knowing why "I am not going to leave you by yourself like this. Especially after this morning." I sat down in the remaining armchair and fixed my gaze on the fire. "Do you want to tell me what happened? Marlene said you were a mess on breakfast."

Instead of replying, James dug through his book bag and pulled out a blue envelope with the purple wax seal of the Ministry of Magic. I opened it and pulled a sheet of paper out of it.

"Do you want me to read it?" He just nodded, so I turned my attention to the paper. The letter wasn't very long, but it was enough to break my heart in two.

_"__Dear Mr. Potter,_

_Today, there was an attack in a mission in Muggle London your parents took part in. The Death Eaters spared no one._

_Unfortunately, Mr. and Mrs. Potter didn't survive. It's with much sadness and grief that we deliver this message to you._

_My deepest condolences,_

_Harold Minchum, The Minister of Magic"_

I closed the letter. I had never met James' parents but I knew from Sirius they were the best possible people that ever existed. They took him in after he ran away from the Black Manor and never asked him about it, they simply accepted him as their own.

"I am so sorry James." I said, not really knowing what else to say. Apparently he _did_ go to the owlery this morning… And I was foolish enough to think he would be avoiding me. I really am not that big of a deal. His words from this morning come back to me. _"Do you really think I grew up because of you?! There's a bloody war going on out there, have you noticed?"_

"Yeah, Evans. Me too."

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><p><strong>AN:** Hullo again! How well did you like this chapter? I hope you are liking my characters, and I hope Lily isn't too stuck up anymore. I think her talk with Marlene really helped, and that she kind of needed that argument with James at the beggining of the chapter. And the Marauders made a grand appearence this chapter, huh? I also enjoyed writing Peter - I hate when fanfiction ignores him! Yes, he did the unthinkable, he betrayed his friends, but he was still their friend! There was a reason he was able to betray them!

Anyways, my school begins again in early January, so my updating rythm might start to be a little slower. Hopefully not too slow though! I wish you a very happy new year.

Yours,

Adriana


	4. Of Smirks and Naps

Hey, it's me again! With a brand new chapter for you! Did last chapter break your hearts? It certainly hurt to write it! I just want to take Prongs and wrap him in a fuzzy blanket. Well well, I am so glad you are enjoying this and reviewing! 12 reviews, almost 20 follows and over 550 views after only 3 chapters?! that's insane! I hope you like this one! Don't forget to let me know by reviewing!

Disclaimer: Not Jo. Sorry.

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><p>"I wish I got to know them better." I replied truthfully. "And I am sorry for this morning."<p>

"Evans, don't." He pleaded, finally looking at me. His eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with tears. I got up and walked towards him. Mine were bright because of the unshed tears.

"Scoot." I told him, my voice sounding steadier than I thought it would, and I sat down next to him, sharing his armchair. Both of the seats merged into one bigger sofa right before our eyes. "Have you told anyone?" I asked, curious. If he did, the other Marauders were awful good at pretending.

"Not really, no." He admitted. "I was mostly trying to pretend it wasn't real. That I'd go home for Christmas and I'd have the chocolate fudge my mom makes. And everything'd be alright…"

"Then why did you tell me?" By then I was even more confused. I was glad he trusted me, though.

"Have you looked at yourself, Evans?" he asked, shaking his head, his mop of black hair getting even more messy. "I figured, I could either tell you, or die trying not to. When you go after something, you usually get it."

"Do you want me to keep it that way?" I asked, since really, it was the only thing I could do for him.

"Sure, thanks Evans."

We fell silent, both lost in our thoughts, dreading what was to come next.

"Why are you here?" James whispered.

"I already told you." I said confused. "We were looking for you."

"No, uh…" He cleared his voice "I meant, why are you _still_ here?"

"I figured you could use a friend. And as much as you love the Remus, Peter and Sirius, I know sometimes they can be a little though to handle." I shook my head and focused my gaze on the fireplace once more.

"Oh." He said "So _now_ we're friends huh? Wow, I guess my parents should have died sooner, right flower?" I was about to scold him for saying something like that, but I soon realized he was being James, trying to hide his emotions with clever banter.

Then, he did the unthinkable. James started to cry. I took his hand "It's alright. It's alright James, it's okay…"

"It's not bloody okay."

"No." I answered. "It's not. It's not okay, I know that. And you shouldn't have to accept it. James." I called "James, look at me." He did so, his gaze sad but strong. "_We_'re okay."

"Okay." We spent the rest of the afternoon in the Room of Requirement. James mostly slept and I kept an eye on him. I was not ready for things to turn out like this, at least not this soon. But I guessed it would make our lives easier. With everything that was going on, none of us really need any additional trouble in our plates. I decided to message Petunia.

_"__Hey Tuney,_

_I know you made your feelings clear the last time we spoke, and I am not sending this message to get under your nerves, or anything. I need to tell you something._

_I know you have no idea, but there is a war in my world. People like me are dying. Students are getting pulled out of school and the Aurors (our police force) isn't being of much help. Voldemort (the instigator of this war) united a front of soldiers, people from magical families, and other evil creatures, who are against wizards and witches with Muggle parents._

_I thought I was safe. That's why I kept this from you, mom and dad. But one of my friends' parents (you remember James Potter?) just died. It's not safe for anyone Tuney. And now you're married, and I know you don't want anything to do with me, okay, I _know_. I am going to join the fight as soon as I graduate. I might _die_, Tuney. So I just wanted you to know I love you, very much._

_- Lily"_

I also made a mental note to send a letter to my parents. Of course, I wouldn't tell them about any of this. This was something I should do in person, and the only reason why I hadn't done it with Petunia was because she made it clear that as soon as she got married, she was getting out of this family, and that she never wanted to speak with me again. I made peace with that.

James rolled around sluggishly and let out a grunt. He stood up and disbelievingly told me "You're still here. You should go to dinner."

"Come with me." I promptly told him, leaving the Room of Requirement, and he groggily followed suit.

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><p>James quickly put on a brave face and a wide grin crept up on his lips, but anyone paying attention easily saw through it.<p>

"Hey mate, is everything alright?" Sirius asked him. I knew the Marauders knew the answer to that question but I was sure James appreciated them not violating is privacy, and letting him tell them what happened on his own time instead.

"Of course, Padfoot" James shot him a sneaky grin. "Did McGonagall give you hell?"

"Nah, but she is expecting the new rounds schedule by the next class." Remus added, wrinkling his nose.

"Did you lot hand in my essay?" I asked, smiling at them.

"Yeah Evans, don't worry about it." Sirius turned to James "You, on the other hand, my boy, are in deep shit. She wants to know why you didn't bother to send yours along with Evans'."

"S'alright, I'll talk to her" James responded. Absentmindedly I nodded at his words. There was no way McGonagall wasn't going to forgive him this one.

The five of us fell into a comfortable silence as we ate dinner: carrot soup, pork ribs and three kinds of potatoes. With pumpkin juice for drinks and pudding or treacle tart for dessert, meals at Hogwarts tasted like angels. Not that I have ever eaten an angel; that would be counterproductive.

"You're all awful quiet today." Peter munched on his mashed potatoes. No one said anything.

"Hey…" all four heads turned to me "I think I am going to go now, I need to talk to Marlene about her lunch with Lucas." I lamely added, shooting a smirk at Sirius, who had his mouth full of pudding.

I stood up and left the Great Hall, ready to climb the stairs to the Gryffindor Tower, to meet Marlene and Alice in my old dormroom.

* * *

><p>"Password?" The Fat Lady asked me.<p>

"Chocolate Frogs" I replied. I am lucky to be Head Girl because otherwise I wouldn't be able to get inside the common room, since Marlene forgot to give me the password. I climbed the stairs until the 7th year girls dormitory and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Dorcas Meadows, one of the 7th years told me. I stepped inside and immediately found Marlene by the vanity.

"Hey Marls, Dorcas." I nodded politely and smiled at them. Dorcas was always a sweet girl, but somehow, I never bonded with her the way I did with Alice or Marlene. "Why are you covered in makeup?" I asked, confused by the sudden outburst of color in Marlene's face.

"I am trying on makeup." Marlene shot me a cheeky grin "Lucas asked me to go to Hogsmead with him next Saturday." She told me, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I guess Black owes me a pack of chocolate fudge."

"_Fudge_…" I muttered under my breath. Of course!

"What was that?" She asked curious. Marlene finally turned her head to see me.

"Mind if I borrow your owl? I need to send mom something." By the time, Dorcas had already left. She was a beater for the Gryffindor Team and I guess they were going to have practice now. They shouldn't be flying after dinner though, but perhaps it was just Gryffindor nerve.

"Sure, go ahead." I scribbled a quick note for mom and sent it off in the careful paws of Leeyana.

"Thanks." I quickly turned to her "But a date with _Bell_? You've outdone yourself Marls! Have you looked at that _hair_!?" Besides being a Ravenclaw Prefect we was one of **the** most attractive bloques in our year, with his dreamy blue eyes and blonde hair, only beat by very few.

"No one can resist Marlene McKinnon, have you noticed?" Marlene winked at me through the mirror. "They all want a piece of _this_." She gestured towards her body.

"I still do resist your charm." I threw my head, letting out an unattractive snort "I should get going, we need to make new patrol partners. McGonagall is on top of me and James." I told her truthfully.

"Well, if _McGonagall_ is on top of you then I underestimated your charm, Lils." She shot me her trademark cheeky smirk, the little shit.

"_Goodbye_ Marlene!" I closed the door as I left and directed myself towards the Head Common Room to work on the schedules.

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><p>As soon as I arrived to the room I looked out the window. It was raining like crazy, and I couldn't help but fear for the safety of huh… the team.<p>

I sat down at the round table that was in the center of the room. I was drowning in work, just like every other seventh year. Head Duties were the least of my concerns, really. If I wanted to be an Auror I needed to get top marks and it was getting more and more difficult as the year went on. _We barely even had time to _sleep! No wonder half of the school walked around like bloody zombies.

I turned on my record player and chose a Beatles vinyl. I had always preferred Muggle music to Wizard music, and I had no idea why. It was like my mother's cooking. Yes, the House Elves did a wonderful job, but it never tasted quite like mom's.

I took the existing Prefects rounds schedule out of my book bag and poured over it. If I just switched Snape for Hanna Baker, everyone'd be happy. Lucas would be with the Slytherin Prefect and Hanna with Remus. I noticed today I had rounds with James. I knew he would be exhausted, but McGonagall would give him trouble if he missed out on his duties.

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><p>Over two hours passed, it was already nine twenty and I was growing more and more concerned. James hadn't shown up yet, and rounds were supposed to begin in ten minutes. As soon as I finally finished my Potions homework, the tired figure that belonged to James Potter barged in.<p>

"Ready for rounds?" I asked him, sending a tired smile his way. "I know you must be tired, but I wouldn't make you if you really didn't have to go. You look awful." He snorted.

"Let's just go, Evans." I noticed how he hadn't talked to me with the disdain usually present on his voice, just tiredness. I guess we really _were_ friends now. I was still trying to wrap my mind about that decision.

"Let me just grab my robes." By the time he arrived I had already stripped off of them, for the heat coming out of the fireplace was a little too much to bear with them on.

We stepped through the portrait and begun our way up the Left Hall on the third floor.

"Why do you guys practice so late?" I tried making polite conversation. I still had no idea how to act around him. "And with this weather! Dorcas was already sick, poor thing."

"We need to be ready when we face Slytherin next Sunday." He told me like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which probably was.

"Well, it's no use practicing so hard if none of you show up to the game, is it?" I smiled at him. I figured he didn't need my pity right now, and a little bit of harmless banter never hurt anyone, did it? I think not.

"You are something else, Evans." He shook his head. His stomach complained loudly. "Merlin, I'm starving."

"Even your body agrees with me." I smirked "Wanna swing by the kitchens?" James' eyes widened.

"You know how to get in the kitchens?"

"You Marauders are not the only ones who get hungry in the middle of the night, did you know? Just… just tickle the pear, right?"

"Why Evans, I thought you knew how to get in." He smirked at me, like he'd just beat me at my own game.

"Oh shut it, will you?" A smile, short but genuine, tugged at the corner of James' lips. I tickled the stone fruit and the kitchens' door swung open. Daisy, one of the House Elves greeted us in an enthusiastic manner. "Hey Daisy!" The House Elf smiled widely, her ears sticked out and she asked me if '_I wanted anything, Ms. Evans_.' I asked her for a mug of hot chocolate while James asked if he could have a bit of treacle tart.

"Thank you so much miss." James winked and Daisy beamed at him.

"Anytime Mr. Potter, Ms. Evans. Have a good night!"

"You too Daisy." I bid her goodbye and we finally left for some proper rounds. It astonished me how James was so nice to Daisy, even though he was positively miserable. I mean, who wouldn't be after receiving such news, but still, it was impressive. I am sure I, had it been me in his place, would shut myself in my room and not talk to anyone for at least a full weekend.

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><p>During rounds we didn't do much, mostly small talked and busted some couples out of broom closets.<p>

"I am telling you, Potter, I swear I saw her knickers!" We both laughed, even though we were exhausted. I was just stepping up the stairs that led to my room when Potter called me from across the room.

"Look… um… I know, thanks to our… _history_" he carefully put it. I felt the need to snort but contained myself. He wasn't asking me _out_, was he? "It might be too much of me to ask you this, but since I received that letter, I hadn't felt this good. I don't really want to be alone right now." James admitted. I thanked the heavens in relief. "Mind having a sleepover here in the common room?" He asked me hopefully. I couldn't say no to him, at least not today. And it wasn't like we would be doing anything, really. Just some harmless sleep. I probably wouldn't sleep though.

"Sure, huh… Let me just go put on my pajamas, alright? You do the same." I turned around and quickly stepped through my door, carefully shutting it. I undressed myself from my robes and quickly put on my only pajamas. I usually slept in nothing but a nightie, for the bed covers were warm and there were always heating charms available. I wasn't going to let him see me in one of those though.

When I came down, I noticed James had already opened the couch and was in a set of pajamas that matched mine (I had put on the Gryffindor pair they gave me in the first year, after the House Sorting. Unneeded it was to say that I hadn't grown much since.)

"I made the couch for you. I will sleep on the floor, alright?" He gestured towards a bed of blankets next to the carpet. I was not going to let him sleep there. I wouldn't let anyone – alright, some slimy Slytherins could stay on the floor for all I cared – sleep like that with a perfectly sized bed available.

"You mad? I am not going to let you sleep on the floor!" I told him, shaking my head.

"Really, it's okay."

"I am not though. When I want something, I usually get it, remember?"

"Alright, if you insist." he chuckled "I do steal the covers, though." James warned me.

"Well, I'll kick my way through it." I smiled at him, and he did the same right back at me.

Instead of sleeping right away, I turned on my record player once more and we both sat at the back of the sofa, staring at the fireplace.

"Are you going to tell them?" I turned to James, concerned.

"Eventually, of course." He continued to stare in front. "I just don't feel ready to tell Sirius. I know he looked at them like his own. I don't know how he would want to get the news. Certainly not through a letter." James half snorted, half scoffed. I wish I knew how to help.

"You are going to have to talk to him, you know? Right now let's just go to sleep, alright?"

"Alright, Evans." Neither of us moved.

"Well…" I began. "Goodnight James."

The lights went out, the fire extinguished itself and the record stopped playing. Me and James lied down and it was all incredibly awkward.

"Goodnight Lily."

It was all incredibly awkward. Incredibly awkward. But somehow, listening to James breathing, I managed to calm myself and fall asleep.

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><p>The sun peeked through the curtains, and pleasantly noticed it was just about 9 o'clock but I wasn't in my room! I looked around and almost instantly noticed James' body intertwined with mine. Somehow, during the night, we managed to get all tangled up. As soon as I lifted my head, I saw Sirius Black, lying on the door, smirking down at us.<p>

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><p><strong>AN: **Soooooooooo, did you like it? Are you enjoying the characterization? The dialogue? Is it moving too fast? Is it good? Bad? Did it make you feel anything at all? What are your theories? Let me know!

Love,

Adriana


	5. Of Lies and Drunk Boys

Hullo! I'm back! Thank you so much for all the positive feedback! It really means a lot to me! I took a little longer writing this one - and it isn't even as long as the last two, just barely over 2550 words - but I really wanted to get it up as soon as possible. I am not sure how long it will take me to write the next one, because I am back at school now, but hopefully it should be up in what, 2 weeks? Let's set that goal. I really hope you guys enjoy this one!

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><p>"Mooorning." He said, winking. "You finally came down to your senses? He's not that bad?"<p>

"It's not like that." I told Sirius. It wasn't. We just slept, in the most innocent meaning of the word. "And speak softer, you'll wake Potter up."

"Then what is it like?" Sirius was still sporting a cheeky grin. "Oy, Prongs!"

James rolled around and reached for his glasses. "What the shitting shit is going on here?"

"Apparently, you and Evans here slept together and darling Lily is trying to deny it." He told his best friend, lifting his eyebrows.

"Well, she is denying it, because it's true. We didn't sleep together. I mean, we did, but we just slept." I couldn't help but notice the deep bags under his eyes. I know he slept alright, but he has still got to be mentally exhausted. I would hate to be in his place. Or Sirius', by the looks of it.

"And why was that?" James didn't answer him, instead, he just looked at the floor and started stripping himself. We were kind of late, had Sirius not woken us up and we could have stayed like that, sleeping forever. "Just wait until I write dad about it! He's gonna be so proud, his son finally got some balls and talked to Evans like a normal person!" Sirius smirked, still not knowing about any of the things going on, about any of the deafening feelings present on the room.

By the time I heard him talk about Mr. Potter, I knew what was going to happen. James was going to tell him, and I wasn't going to stick around to watch. One emotional Marauder was one too many for me. I had no idea how to handle this situation, nor how I got in it. Well, that I knew; I just didn't know why.

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><p>I walked down to the Great Hall for Breakfast and quickly spotted Marlene and Alice. I sat down across them and we made polite small talk. My mind was still stuck in the two black haired boys upstairs.<p>

"Morning Lily." Alice positively beamed at me. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, but how about you? You look so happy!" I told her with as much excitement I could muster.

"Oh, you know, nothing too exciting… Just happy to finally go to Hogsmead this weekend… You know, with, uh, Frank." She blushed profusely at that.

"Oh my god 'Lice! That's fantastic!" I decided, it wouldn't hurt to try to be that girl, just this time, for Alice, of course "I am so so happy for you!"

We continued chatting enthusiastically and suddenly it was ten o'clock and we had to run to Defense.

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><p>The whole day passed in a blur. In Defense we worked on the theory for the Patronus Charm. If we were under an ordinary atmosphere, we wouldn't even work on it, for it is a very difficult kind of magic, and most wizards can never manage to do it, let alone some seventh years. However, with the war brewing Professor Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers decided we ought to be prepared for what awaits outsider the castle. Professor Flitwick stopped by too, him being the Charms teacher and all. In Potions everything looked more sullen than usual. I received my grade and somehow, I managed to get na E! That was truly the highest point of my day, so far, at least.<p>

James didn't show up, and neither did Sirius. Remus and Peter both looked depressing the entire time, while in class. During the breaks I couldn't even find them. Not that I was looking, no sir. I wonder how it went though. I decided it was something I could not change, and therefore I shouldn't worry too much about it. But then I remembered James' tears on my white button-up, and how deep the bags under his eyes were. Two people died. Two that I know of personally anyway. I have always read the obituary section on the Prophet, but it all always seemed too far away. Not now, though, no, now it hit too close to home.

Sirius finally showed up for Supper; James didn't. I hate to say this, but Sirius looked even worse than James did. His hair was all mussed up, instead of it's usually combed shiny look, his shirt was unbuttoned and he hadn't even bothered to put on his Gryffindor scarf.

He sat at the most distant and alone possible place of the whole House Table.

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><p>Not wanting to see that, I stood up, and took off, up to the Head Dorm to get my books for Astronomy, later that night. I was not ready for the sight that met me as soon as I stepped into the Common Room I shared with James. The Head Boy was positively asleep, sprawled on the unmade couch, shirtless and probably drunk. I could tell, not only by the stench of Firewhiskey in the air or the broken glass bottle on the floor, but because he was sleeping on top of his glasses. Usually, he was always really careful with them. If I were nearly blind without some, I'd be really wary of breaking them, too.<p>

"Accio." I summoned the vase present on top of the table, threw the flowers in the fire and dumped the water on top of James' sleeping body.

"Argh!" He screamed "D'ya wan' meh to die from hypothermia, uh Evanss?" My suspicions were confirmed when he slurred his words. Completely, undeniably, irrefutably drunk.

"Shower. Now." God, I felt like his mother. I scolded myself mentally for letting that thought cross my mind. Of course he would need a mother now. The one that gave birth to him was dead. He just felt lost, confused, angry, probably guilty. No. Knowing James – not that I knew him that well – but from what everyone who ever talked to him could guess, he was definitely feeling guilty, above all other emotions.

"Wanna shower with meh pumkin'?" His smirk attempt failed miserably. I stripped James – only to his underwear, I'm not a perv! – and put him in the bathtub.

"Nah, just sober up." Suddenly, I forgot all about his drunken half-asleep state just like both curiosity and concern; I really wanted to ask him how the infamous talk went, but then again, he should probably get a little more awake before he dove into that story-telling business.

I left James to shower. We had Astronomy later that day, so it was important that he was nice and sober, and that he had let out everything. I knew I should have talked to Sirius too, but it wouldn't feel right. I knew Sirius preferred being alone after getting bad news – I learned that when his Uncle Alphard died – and I had heard the whole death ordeal from James, so I guessed I should listen to him first. He walked out of the bathroom, with his glasses a little foggy. His hair was damp and instead of the usual crooked grin he was sporting a frown, and not a playful one.

"How'd it go?" I asked him. I really was concerned. James and Sirius were like brothers, like real, blood brothers. And that meant sharing the rest of the family. James' aunt Vivian usually referred to Sirius as his favorite nephew. Sirius had told me all of this. I spent the summer after Fifth Year with him, trying to escape Severus' attention. That was when we really bonded, and he was one of my very best friends. James still hadn't responded. I looked over and he had sat down on the scarlet sofa, right next to me. His presence was so heavy I could never ignore it. "Really, tell me."

"Well, Lily, the thing is…" I drunk his every word as I listened to him talk.

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><p><em>"<em>_What was all that about?__" __Sirius looked at James with a sharp look. __"__It__'__s what, the first time you haven't bragged about your Lily Quest?__"_

_James was losing is patience. __"__It wasn__'__t like that! Do you trust me on this or not?__" __Sirius was such a stubborn ass. If he kept pressing the issue, he would have to tell his mate all about everything, and he really was hoping he could keep him in the dark a little longer. It__'__s not that he wanted to lie, but he hated seeing the people he cared about getting hurt._

_"__Well, I can__'__t, when you__'__re lying to my face!__" __Sirius shouted. A bright purple vein on his neck was throbbing __"__Why won__'__t you trust me? For fuck__'__s sake James!__"_

_"__I was feeling under the weather and she was there. I really didn__'__t want to be alone in my room, we just slept." James conceded. This was how much he was going to let on. Not one more word on the subject. He looked around – they had already managed to come up to his room, and he couldn__'__t remember who had slammed the door __– __and__saw the letter lying under his bed. In a swift move he kicked it under the furniture, but Sirius__' __sharp reflexes caught on to that._

_"__What is that?__" __The grey-eyed boy asked his best friend __"__What are you hiding from me Prongs?__" __He almost looked hurt. Well, it pained James too to be hiding such big news, but it was for the best._

_He should have guessed. He should have known Sirius would press the issue, because that was exactly how Sirius was. If he knew something was up, he wouldn__'__t rest easy until he figured it out "It__'__s nothing, really, it's-__" __James tried to hide it. It was all crumbling down around him. His mate would find out, he would hurt and blame him for hiding it._

_"__Bullshit, James!__" __Sirius quickly ducked and picked up the letter. Hastily, he opened it and started reading. Pretty soon his eyes were glistening and his pupils were wide. You could see, just from his expression, the part of the letter he was in; the look on the young Black was unmistakable. Rather than grief, it was horror. And so much guilt. __"__Why?__Why would you keep this from me?__" __He was shaking._

_For the first time, James had no idea what to say or how to act next to Sirius. __"__I am sorry, I just-"_

_"__You just what Prongs?__"_

_"__I had no idea what to say! Or how to say it! And I am sorry, alright?__" __They were known for their mischief, but above all their friendship. The barely fought, but when they did, things could get pretty ugly __– __you could just think about the Full Moon Incident. No one knew why, but they hadn't talked to each other for weeks. __"__I really am, just, god, Padfoot.__"_

_"__I know they were your parents, ok? I know that. But they were my family too! This is the second set of parents I__'__ve lost!__" __Sirius was full on sobbing then. It was so hard for James to see his best friend like that. Then Sirius started to laugh __"__You know what? Dear old mum probably killed them! Or was it my great father? So proud of themselves…" He started to mutter something James could not really catch onto, but he recognized __'__tortured' and __'__fun__'__._

_"__I am sorry, again. I am not going to apologize anymore though. I knew this would happen.__" __He really did __"__I just wanted to keep it from you so you would not have to spend your time moping around mum and dad! They wouldn__'__t want that. You know I regret hiding it from you. I just didn't want you to get hurt."_

_Sirius__' __expression softened __"__I know Prongs. I would've liked to have been given the choice, though. We__'__re good.__" __They both knew they were alright. James was sorry and Sirius understood his best friends__' __actions. It was all good __"__But I really need to be alone right now. I__'__m sure you know what I mean.__" __It could be his imagination playing tricks on him, but James could swear that last sentence had a bitter taste to it._

* * *

><p>"…And then he just left, Lils. And he hasn't come back." James was exhausted, I could tell. I had no idea what to do, what to say.<p>

I figured, calming his nerves and concern was probably a safe bet. "Well, if that makes you feel better, he did come to supper. He was as drunk as you were, but I wouldn't worry too much about it."

"I am just done, you know?" James sighed "I know this must be hard for him, I lied to him. But I am so done moping around. My parents wouldn't want it, but I can't let them go if Sirius doesn't too. Let's just go to Astronomy."

* * *

><p>James was his own character. He was nice, and he was brave, and he would do anything for his friends. He was a good leader, and a good listener, but he was immature, and sometimes he was selfish, and he had an awful temper. With James, you never knew where you stood. You would know if he liked you or if he didn't, but never more than that. For every bit of outgoing in him, there were two reserved parts. Unless you were in, you could never look inside his brain. That was what the Marauders represented for him; Sirius, Remus and Peter were his brothers. And they just lost someone.<p>

I dwelled on the subject the whole trip up the Astronomy Tower. Sirius was there; he had taken a shower – his hair was clean – and he'd shaved, and his tie sat nicely on his shirt. Then James took off and met him, and they hug and sat down and then the teacher walked in.

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><p><strong>AN: **How do you feel about this chapter? Did you like it, or did you hate it? What were your thoughts on this? Do you feel like James did the right thing? Should Sirius have hold the grudge a little longer? I know I hate two Marauders separated! And I am really digging Lily right now, I think she was really caring - cannonly - but that she didn't put up with anyone's crap. But because I am a lame writer sometimes I can't portray the characters like they are in my mind. So, please review!

Love,

Adriana


	6. Of Revelations and Firewhiskey

Hey guys, I'm back! Thank you so so much for the amazing feedback! I hope you enjoy this one!

Disclaimer: Not Rowling *sobs*

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><p>Nothing too exciting happened this week. James and I slept in the common room the next two days but after that we went back to our own rooms and that was it.<p>

The next day was Saturday, and it was a Hogsmeade weekend. Cormac, one of the seventh year Hufflepuffs asked me to go with him but I wasn't feeling like going on a date. Marlene and Alice were both going with someone, so I was probably just going to hang out with the Marauders. I usually stayed with Alice but since she is going with Frank… I drifted off to sleep pretty easily, since I was exhausted from school, and the whole James business.

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><p>I woke up really excited, without any apparent reason, I was just really happy to go to Hogsmeade with some friends. One thing I loved about Remus, James, Peter and Sirius was that, they were the biggest friends, but whenever you hung out with them, they never made you feel like you didn't belong there, they made special care to include you in the activities and conversations.<p>

As I rolled out of bed, my left foot got stuck in the sheets and I fell with my face on the floor. _That is going to leave a mark_, I thought. It was early November, but in Scotland it was already getting chilly, so I put on my favorite pair of jeans and a blue sweater and quickly brushed my teeth and hair.

Just as I strolled down to the Great Hall – we usually met there before every Hogsmeade trip – I came across Severus.

"What's a little Mudblood like you doing around here all by herself?" He asked me, testing my temper. I tried walking past him, not saying anything but he got a hold of my wrist and yanked me back. "Trying to leave, are we? It's not very polite to ignore our friends, Evans…"

I quickly escaped his strong hold "Say hi to _dad_ for me, will you?" I quickened my pace as I left Snape's dumbstruck figure behind. I know it was wrong of me to bring up someone as cruel has Snape's father, but the bastard was asking for it. Long gone were the days I put up with bullies and such.

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><p>"Hey guys!" I cheerfully greeted everyone. For once, Marlene wasn't with Lucas, Lucas was with Marlene, sitting at the Gryffindor table. However, Frank and Alice were nowhere to be seen. Sirius claimed they had picked up the early carriages to the village. "Hi Lucas." I smiled at him.<p>

"What are you doing today Lily?" Peter asked me.

"I don't know, I am just going to hang out in the village, maybe pick up some new quills?" I had been lusting over a beautiful black quill – the feather belonged to a crow, I didn't care how morbid that sounded – that was supposed to make the ink waterproof.

"Just come with us, Evans" Sirius told me with a grin "_We_ need to have a quick chat" the young Black laughed.

"Alright, alright Sirius." I blew my red hair off my face and smiled "I just need to go by the Owlery, if that's okay. I'll meet you all outside, just… five minutes."

I stepped off of the table and headed to the South side of the castle, where the Owlery was. I had a really good feeling, otherwise, I wouldn't have woken up so excited.

I turned left and walked behind an old Rowena Ravenclaw tapestry. It was one of the fastest secret passages I had found in my time at Hogwarts. By the time I got out of the tunnel I had nearly gotten to the Owlery door. You could be a first year on the first week in the castle and you would know that you were near the birds. You could hear them from afar, and frankly, you could smell them.

The little Brown owl I had sent my mom to get my reply – Marlene's owl was too impatient to wait for the answer and came back as soon as she dropped my note – was here, with a lovely gray package sitting right next to it. I told you, I had a feeling. I gave the little owl a sickle and left the Owlery, it reeked!

After only ten minutes of being alone, I was reunited with the Marauders. Marlene and Lucas had already taken a carriage and were probably just arriving.

"Sorry I made you guys wait." I carefully hid the gray box behind my back and hopefully the cloak would cover it completely. I didn't even know why I was hiding it – or at least I thought I didn't.

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><p>We arrived to Hogsmeade and walked down the streets. The leaves were all kinds of yellow, red and brown, even though most of them were on the floor instead of on the branches – another sign that winter was coming with large and loud steps.<p>

I had always liked looking inside every store; it filled me with happiness to see everyone holed up in the warm buildings. It reminded me of the holidays, when I was at home, with the fireplace on, reading a book in my dad's office.

Sirius, Remus and Peter were every bit as excited as I was – Sirius always managed to surprise me. Just the other day he was looking awful and now it looked like he had swept everything under the rug. He always did that, he never dwelled on the things he couldn't change, he just accepted them; well, except when it was about Regulus, his younger brother.

James, however, even if he wasn't moping around, you could easily see he was still shaken up.

You could even see it then – while the other Marauders were nearly jumping around Hogsmeade, James was left behind, half walking, half dragging his feet around. I slowed down my pace and walked beside him.

"Here." I took the package from outsider my cloak and placed it in his hands.

James was clearly confused, I could tell. He was always so easy to read…

I quickly explained him, trying to hide the blush spreading across my cheeks "Well, uh… You told me you hoped you could go home this Christmas and eat your mum's fudge… but you can't… well, obviously" I scolded myself. Damn you redheaded genes! "so, um… I kind of, uh, owled my mum and asked her to bake some, so… uh, here."

I couldn't have gotten out of there fast enough. James didn't thank me. In fact, he hadn't said anything all morning. His eyes were shiny and his glasses were crooked. He continued not saying anything; Instead, he kept glancing at me the whole day, and looked away every time I met his gaze.

Oddly enough, none of the boys asked him about it; hell, I didn't think they'd even noticed.

"Hey, Remus, wait up!" I called. Lupin was just getting into Scrivenshaft's and I really wanted to pick up that crow quill, and maybe one of the beautiful notebooks they sold. In Hogwarts, we never really used notebooks, the teachers preferred parchment but I enjoyed doodling… a lot.

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><p>"So, Evans."<p>

"So, Black." I played along.

"What are your _intentions_?" He told me seriously. Well, at least it looked like Sirius was being… serious.

I started to chuckle while he looked at me like I was barking mad – which I probably was.

"What do you mean… _intentions_?"

"I mean, you slept with James." What?!

"I did not! What are you even saying?!" I was furious! He knew what really happened!

He probably figured that I was starting to blow a fuse, because he quickly told me to "Calm down, woman, I know you just slept! Merlin!"

"Then what are you implying, Sirius?" Honestly, I had no idea. Besides constantly surprising me, Sirius constantly infuriated me. It didn't help that I got mad with very, very little.

"Why did you even help him?" He looked genuinely confused and lost "I mean, you haven't even looked in his direction in like, three years! What changed?" I felt the imminent accusation. I knew that Sirius thought I was just pitying James, and in all honesty, I kind of thought that too, for a while. But it's not true.

"Well, he's grown up. You'd know." Sirius looked taken back by my sudden sharpness.

"What d'you mean, I'd know?"

"Well, he saved Snape, and he managed to forgive you. He put other's well being above his hatred for Snape. He was very selfless, and I admire that."

"What? He saved Snape? What are you talking about?" Sirius was clearly trying to fool me, but I could see past his mask.

"You don't need to lie, you know… I _know_."

"You know? What do you know?" A frightened look was now dancing on his face and I could tell this was a very uncomfortable situation for him.

"I know about Remus." Sirius' jaw dropped, and he was preparing to interrupt me, when I started speaking again. "I know about Remus, and I don't care. He's my friend, he's just got a little thing."

"How long have you known?" His voice was hoarse and his pupils were dilated.

"Since about the end of fourth year? I am surprised more people haven't figured that out yet." It was true. His mother was sick every full moon, and 'Moony' was not really the most discrete nickname.

To say that Sirius was surprised would have been a major understatement. He was positively flabbergasted.

He'd stopped dead on his track before we rearranged his features into his trademark smirk and looked down on me. "You are alright, Lily Evans."

"Yeah, well, tell me something I don't know!" At this, Sirius broke down laughing.

Peter, James and Remus all looked at us like we were insane, but I could see something else, some other feeling flickering across James' hazel eyes. I didn't know how I could see them from so afar.

I started jogging towards them, leaving Sirius behind me and I nearly knocked Remus down with my embrace. All I could hear was Sirius' shouts.

"Nicely done, Evans, leave me alone to _die_!" Oh Sirius, always the drama queen.

Besides him, everyone looked at me, confused by my sudden outburst of affection.

"What?" I flicked my hair behind my shoulders. It was getting a little longer now, which I appreciated since the weather was getting colder by the week. "Remus is my friend, and I love him for who he is. Badly behaved rabbits included."

Sirius continued laughing like a maniac. James and Peter started chuckling too – let me explain it; the marauders used to tell people he had a furry little problem, and lots of them were under the impression remus owned an hyperactive rabbit – but Remus' face was now drained of color. He looked like he had just seen a ghost.

"You know? And… You're okay with this?" I could tell he was scared "Who told you? You could stop talking to me, if you'd like, I'd be oka-"

"I know." I rolled my eyes at him. "I've known for a long time and it's alright. You are still you. And if I've been okay with it for nearly three years now, I don't think I'd stop now. Do you?"

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><p>From that point of the afternoon – time was flying by! None of us even realized we'd skipped lunch altogether – the conversation flew by smoothly. Our day was back to our easy-going atmosphere and we kind of walked in on Frank and Alice – Sirius and Peter teased them merciless – Alice's cheeks were redder than my hair!<p>

Mostly, we strolled around the village, and, quoting Sirius "blessing everyone with the sight of us", ate some Cauldron Cakes and drank some Butterbeer. Sirius nicked a bottle of Firewhiskey and we were headed to the castle for a sleepover in the Head Common Room. Marlene was also coming with us, she told us she was just gonna hang out with Lucas for a little while and that she'd meet us there.

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><p>The fireplace was lit, the couches were filled with blankets, the Firewhiskey bottle was on the table and we were all glad to have a night off our problems, duties and all, just to hang out and spend some time with each other. It had been a while since we'd last done that.<p>

"Let's play Never Have I Ever!" Peter suggested and I instantly found myself nodding. It was one of my all time favorite games.

I remembered playing it with Marlene and Alice in second year using chocolate milk. I think that it's one of my favorite memories, because we really bonded that night; just a couple of twelve year olds on a chilly winter night. Alice's grandma had just passed and me and Marls really wanted to cheer her up.

Everyone was on board, so we grabbed the liquor bottle, a couple of glasses – we used to fill them with water on the Prefect meetings – and Sirius poured a little bit in each one.

We gathered up in a circle, and each one of us had a glass in front of ourselves. I was squished between Sirius and Remus and James was right in front of me. He still hadn't looked me in the eye.

"Okay, I'll start." Sirius proposed. "Never have I ever skinny-dipped."

Marlene and I toasted and drank the contents of our glasses.

"Lily!" Peter was laughing so hard his cheeks looked like they might explode.

"What is here, stays here, Wormtail." Sirius nodded at the group while winking at me.

"Okay, my turn." I listened to Peter's voice. I was re-filling mine and Marlene's glasses. "Never have I ever kissed a guy." The grin on his face was mischievous.

Like expected, me and Marlene both drank. So did James and Sirius.

"WHAT?! Oh my god!" We all started laughing at this, while they both blushed furiously.

"We were drunk and bored. Let's just not, alright?" By then, they too were laughing out loud. It felt good to see James like that, happy. I knew it was a mask, though. The bags under his eyes were getting worse and worse as the days passed. I guess keeping a facade is exhausting. "Plus, he's my brother. His spit's my spit."

"You do realize" I started "That sentence right there, is probably the grossest thing you have ever said, did you know that?" Marlene snorted.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Oddly enough, Sirius wasn't smirking, not even grinning; His smile was as wide as the sun. See, this right there was the reason I loved these evenings so much – we were all so happy when we were around each other. "Your turn, Lupin."

His voice was deeper than the other boys' "Never have I ever…" Remus paused, and his cheeks were a little pink "had sex with someone."

Marlene drank; predictable. Sirius drank; typical. Peter drank; "WHAT?!" I exploded and immediately felt bad. Just because he was on the chubbier, shier side didn't mean people – myself included – should assume things about him. And James… was a virgin? I'd never would have guessed it, so it came as a shock to me, even if no one else seemed surprised by that revelation.

Seeing the look on my face, Marlene rolled over laughing and accidentally hit James in the face. He bit her. "Ow! Bloody ow!"

It was my turn to talk. I didn't even know why, since we weren't doing it in any particular order, but with us things were often decided telepathically. "Oh well. Um…" My brain searched frantically for something to say. "Never have I ever…" My mind was completely blank. Then I decided to just be real. "Been in love."

For the second time that night, James picked up his glass and drank.

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><p><strong>AN: **Did you likeeeeeee it? Hopefully you did! No, don't worry, they are not getting together too soon. And there's actually an explanation for Lily's previous hate towards James, so it's not like she just decided to be his friend all of a sudden, no sir. You'll just have to wait and see ;)

So, review, and tell me your opinion on this chapter, or the whole fanfiction so far! Maybe share this in your social media if you want ahahaha ^-^

Love,

Adriana


	7. Of Backstories and Quidditch

**A/N: **Hullo! How is everyone! Thank you so much for the brilliant response you have been giving this fanficiton!

Special thanks to **mylongbottoms**, **j-jip**, and **cokeer** for the brilliant reviews!

But honestly, thank you so much! This story is about a month old and already has 25 reviews and 35 follows!

This is my longest chapter ever! Over 3200+ words! Hope you enjoy it!

**Disclaimer: **None of the characters or world are mine, since I am not Joanne, obviously.

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><p>No one noticed – at least I didn't think anyone did – but I was tense for the rest of the night. And I knew exactly why. It wasn't like me to get so worked up – well, unless it was out of anger. But James had always managed to bring out my fiery temper.<p>

We drank some more, and I was just a little over tipsy. Sirius, Marlene and Remus were awful drunk, Peter had passed out half an hour ago but I remembered James hadn't touched his drink except from the two times he drank while playing. I was certain he had a good reason for it, but I simply couldn't recall it.

I was incredibly shocked to hear James' words "Come with me."

We climbed the stairs that led to his room – boys couldn't climb the stairs to the girls' dormitory – and stood there in some weird form of an awkward silence. I mean, it was supposed to feel awkward, but it didn't, it just felt comfortable. James felt comfortable. I felt like I could tell him anything. I guess old habits die hard.

"I never really got the chance, you know…" James' eyes were as bright as could be and his lips were slightly parted on a smile "Thank you. For the fudge, that is. It meant a lot to me." And then he started rambling like he knew exactly what he wanted to say, but he didn't know how to do it. "I didn't think you'd actually listen to me, y'know?" He chose his words carefully. "You were just so uptight I forgot how good of a friend you used to be."

James used to be one of my best friends, just like Severus. To say they didn't get along would be an understatement. They always tried to rob me from the other – _well, you know what I mean_ – but just like Snape had ended our friendship in fifth year, so did James, in the beginning of my fourth year at Hogwarts.

I guess that's why I held onto Snape's friendship for so long, even after I'd realized it was rotten. I didn't want to lose someone else. That's also why I made myself hate James' guts. It wasn't like me to hate people without reasoning.

"Why did we stop?" But I knew. And so did he. "We were such a good team."

"I hurt you." His face was solemn and his voice was sad. "I wish that I hadn't. Especially after you've gone out of your way to cheer me up."

His words hit me like a brick, and all the memories came back to me in a flood of raw emotion. **Longing.**

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><p>It was the fourth year, the end of September. Even if I was best friends with Severus Snape, we always kept our friendly touches to a minimum. While Severus introduced me to this world, somewhere I could finally belong in, he was always at arms length. It wasn't my choice, it was his, and I understood and respected it. Because of the abuse of his father, physical relationships had always bothered him.<p>

James Potter was my other best friend. With him, things were very different. Of course, I condemned his behavior towards Slytherins, but usually I found his pranks rather amusing. On the other hand, he always fake-mocked me but was constantly making me laugh.

James had always been a very physical person. He wasn't afraid of touching others, he hugged and laughed a great deal, and it was always such a relaxed friendship, I cherished it.

And then one day, I woke up, and there was a note on my brown, wooden trunk "_Please don't find me. I can't talk to you anymore. It's best if you don't know why._" I ignored his words, I tried talking to him, I tried fixing everything but he wouldn't budge. He never looked at me, and he never answered; I was invisible. So I stopped finding him.

I never found out what happened. So I started to resent him. I blocked every happy memory, every piece of feeling and focused on his negative qualities, forgetting all the good ones.

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><p>"Yeah, well." I told him, faking a smile for both our sakes. "Remember what I told you that day? We're okay." And I realized just how much I meant it.<p>

"I'm glad, Lily." He smiled at me, and then I was smiling too, and we were grinning at each other like complete idiots.

"How are you, Potter?" I asked him, concerned. "Really."

"I am getting better. Sirius helps. And you helped me, too. You've always meant a lot to me." His gaze shot to the floor and his face was flushed. "I really am sorry I hurt you."

"Nevermind it." I just wanted to put it past me. I was done moping for James Potter. "Let's just go check up on them, alright?"

"Alright, Evans."

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><p>Sirius Black had stripped down to his boxers and passed out on the table. Peter Pettigrew had just woken up and was now taking a shower in James' room. Remus and Marlene were playing Exploding Snap. McKinnon was missing an eyebrow and Lupin had a faint burn mark on his left cheek.<p>

I decided to pick up my glass and to fill it with tap water from the bathroom. "What are you doing with them?" James asked me.

"Just let them crash here. Peter should be down soon." I reasoned. We were both talking through loud whispers, as impossible as that sounds. I wasn't looking in his way, but I could feel James' presence on the my doorstep. My back was facing him as I brushed my teeth in the least disgusting way I could manage.

"Are you going to sleep down there?" He raised one of his eyebrows. "_It reeks_."

It was true. The stench of alcohol filled up the air. "Probably not." Absolutely not. "I'm just going up to my bed. Goodnight."

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><p>Today I realized why James hadn't drunk basically anything last night – turns out, today Gryffindor was playing against Slytherin. I had no idea how I could forget, since, as a fan of the sport and Head Girl, I had to be on top of the school events.<p>

The burning headache and dry throat reminded me. I couldn't hold my alcohol; a couple of sips and I was a goner.

Sirius was majorly hungover and James was freaking out about it. He was one of the best Beaters on the team and James needed him to be on his top form today. I saw him take not one, but two hangover potions and Black's eyes were instantly clearer.

The weather was nice, for the Scottish November. The sun wasn't as bright as I'd like it to be, but at least there weren't many clouds and the wind was soft – perfect for a match.

I made an effort to actually go to the game today, to show moral support. You would never guess it – because I never went to the games – but I did really enjoy Quidditch; I simply preferred to see it from the comfort and warmth of the library. One of the windows had the perfect view to the Quidditch Pitch.

As I was making my way to Breakfast, I saw James running towards me with a scarf in hand. "For good luck." Then he wrapped it carefully around my neck and took off before I could say anything back. _For good luck._

I was left wondering about my recently revived friendship. It was a very strange feeling, to have James back, all of a sudden. Because we were Head Boy and Girl, we had tried to be civil to each other, but a month in, I stopped making the effort, for it pained too much to even look him in the eye.

That still didn't explain how I had warmed up to him again so quickly. Or maybe it did. His parents' passing allowed me to view him again as the vulnerable kid I once knew and had tried to erase out of my memory. Not that one could ever forget James Potter entirely.

Still, it was all so dangerous; To let him in again. We were good, I'd said it so myself, but it was clear certain topics were still taboo. Fourth and Fifth Years were unheard of in any of our conversations since that fateful afternoon.

Lost in my thoughts, I missed anything exciting at breakfast, and I soon found myself on the stands. Marlene and Frank were also playing (Chaser and Beater) so I stood with Alice and Peter by my side; Remus was on the right arm of Pettigrew.

Me and Alice chatted excitedly about her date with the one and only Frank Longbottom, and it turns out, Frank finally plucked up some courage and they were now boyfriend and girlfriend.

"I am so happy for you Alice!" I told her truthfully. I really was. It was only fair at least one of us had emotional stability.

"He was so nice to me! A true gentleman!" Alice's beautiful blonde locks swayed in the wind as she spoke, but as soon as the commentator, Hestia Jones, a Ravenclaw sixth year, began talking our conversation died down.

Hestia's voiced boomed all through the Pitch. "And here they come! The Slytherin Team, led by Nott, Carrow, Avery, Yaxley, Greengrass, Rosier and their new seeker Black!"

The crowd applauded, but you could hear the booing coming from the Gryffindor portion of the stands.

"And now, the Gryffindors! Led by Head Boy James Potter, McKinnon, Hale, Prewett, Black, Longbottom and Meadows!" I whistled and screamed like I just got a voice, although I could barely hear myself.

Tyler Jordan walked around with a wooden case where people were placing bets. So far the odds were 3-2 to Gryffindor.

Whenever I watched Quidditch, my mind was completely focused on the game. I couldn't participate in conversations, hell, for all I knew, Pettigrew could have a stroke right beside me and I wouldn't notice; _something to work on_, I decided.

Both Team Captains opened up the game and fourteen spots of color shot straight into the air.

"And Gryffindor has the Quaffle, Potter to Longbottom, back to Potter…" Hestia's voice echoed "Avery just snatched the Quaffle! Ball to Carrow, to Nott who was just hit by a bludger! Nice shot from Sirius Black and James Potter scores! **Ten to Gryffindor**!"

James quickly ducked a bludger from Greengrass but Fabian was not so lucky and was hit in the arm. The Lions yelled words of encouragement and the keeper quickly returned to his post.

"Avery dives for the Quaffle but McKinnon passes the ball to Dylan Hale and **Gryffindor scores**!"

The crowd was going wild, but I knew the Slytherins usually let their opponents score a couple of times before bringing out the big guns.

"Nice bludger from Yaxley who just hit the Gryffindor seeker!" James ruffled his hair. How was he supposed to win a match without a hundred percent functioning seeker? Luckily, I knew Dorcas Meadows was a tough act to follow and would still play the game to her fullest.

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><p>Four hours had already passed and all fourteen players were still going strong! Gryffindor was losing by 130-110 and there was clear tension between the Black brothers.<p>

"**And Nott scores**!" The Slytherin stand jumped and celebrated the game. "Nice way of distracting the the Quidditch Team, hitting the Scarlet Captain! Those slimy gits are forces to be reckoned with!"

"**JONES**!" McGonagall's voice threatened.

"Sorry, professor!" She apologized. _"Anyway…_ Foul bludger to the arm of the Slytherin Captain but that's Quidditch! Avery shoots but Prewett defents the goal! Ball to Potter and IS THAT THE SNITCH?! YES IT IS!"

The crowd was going wild. "Black is on the front but Meadows is right behind him! OW! Black just hit his Green Brother with a bludger and MEADOWS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! **GRYFFINDOR WINS**!"

The noise coming out of the stands - all four sides of them – was incredible.

The game had dragged on for the whole morning and a bit of the afternoon – the snitch was nowhere to be seen! – but it felt like just a couple of minutes passed! Both teams were constantly scoring and it was a really close match.

The players directed themselves to the locker room but not before James flew over to where I was standing with Remus – Alice had gone down to the locker room to meet with Frank and Peter had gone to lunch and hadn't returned yet.

"See? I told you it'd give us good luck." James smirked and winked at me. He high-fived Remus in a much more complicated than necessary manner, and as soon as he arrived, he was gone again.

"Where's Peter?" I asked Remus, with my eyebrows dangerously close to my hairline.

"Probably eating, if I had to guess." I couldn't agree more with him, but I had asked anyway. "What are you doing today?"

"Oh, I guess I'm going to be at the party."

"But we haven't set up anything! At least not yet, come." His fingers motioned me to follow him, so I did.

We navigated through the flood of students and rushed to the second floor of the castle. Remus delegated me the task to go into the kitchens and grab some food – treacle tart, cauldron cakes, and _lots_ of chocolate – while he went to Hogsmeade to retrieve some beverages. "Butterbeer and Pumpkin Juice only, I promise." But the wink that came with that promise assured me there would be liquor too.

I knew most people enjoyed Firewhiskey, but personally, as liquors go, I had always enjoyed the sweet taste in alcoholic drinks like Mead. Maybe that's why I preferred Muggle Alcohol. But the burning sensation Firewhiskey left in my throat too was pleasant; well, not the morning after, that's for sure.

I walked to the Head Common Room, as directed by Mr. Remus Lupin – often known as Moony – and began placing the food on the table. This would be a 7th year only Quidditch Party – I knew the younger students always had one of their own anyway, and as Head Girl, I didn't want to put the little kids near the alcohol. I'd only had my first drink last year!

I sat down on the red armchair and waited patiently for Remus to show up. I'd taken as many secret passages as I could to get to the common room before anyone else could show up.

I let my mind wonder off to less pleasant parts of my life. I'd been completely neglecting my friends! It was just James _this,_ Marauders _that…_ I felt like crap, because I couldn't remember the last time I was one hundred percent focused on either Marlene or Alice. I had no idea how Marls' relationship with Bell was going, and I'd shown next to none enthusiasm when Alice told me about her Hogsmeade trip with Frank.

Before I could begin to even contemplate the reasons for this change, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin barged in, hands full.

"Will you two calm down for a second?!" I screeched. I got up to help them place the glass bottles on the table, near the yummy foods I had brought here. "A little more and you'd have taken the door off it's hinges!"

"Sorry, we had our hands full, had to use my foot to push it open." Peter explained to me.

"Ah, s'alright, just, be careful yeah?" I smiled at the boys. "When is everyone coming?"

It was Remus who replied. "Anytime now." He shot me a grin.

"Alright, then. I am just going to change, be right back."

I excused myself and walked the stairs up to my room. Obviously, it was warmer inside than on the Pitch, and it wouldn't make any sense if I were to continue with my big violet coat on. I stroked James' scarf before taking it off and placing it on my desk.

It was wooden, but painted with a deep shade of scarlet. It actually doubled as a nightstand, because it was nearly the exact height of my four poster bed. This room was nothing like the one I occupied at home. Here, the theme was obviously wood and red, while in Surrey, the walls were painted a light blue color, and the curtains were white and flowy.

I took off my jacket and carefully placed it on my bed. For some reason, I decided it would be a fine idea to also change my top. The warm grey sweater I had on came off and was replaced by one of my favorite button ups. It was a deep maroon color and was one of the few shades that didn't clash horribly with my hair.

I put my hair in a ponytail and walked back to the common room. I didn't think I'd taken that much time, but by the time I got there, the party was already in full swing.

It wasn't that big of a mess – only the seventh years and the rest of the Quidditch Team – but all the space seemed to be taken.

I walked over to the table and grabbed a piece of chocolate fudge and a goblet of butterbeer. I noticed the bottle of Firewhiskey behind everything else, but I still appreciated the effort they put into it.

I looked around; For once, Sirius Black was actually standing up, instead of sprawled on the couch. Peter was sitting near the table, every possible food at arms length, and Remus was, along with James, sipping on their drinks near the lit up fireplace.

I walked over and greeted them. "Hi! Nice game!" What was I supposed to say? How was I supposed to act around James, now that, all of a sudden, we were friends again? How much chill was _too_ chill?

"Oh, I have fate in the Team." James said, effortlessly nonchalant. "But I won't deny the luck you gave us. Sirius was so wasted." He laughed, his eyes sparkling.

"Then I am glad I helped." I told him, with my best Shakespearian voice.

Suddenly, the left window opened and a little brown owl swept into the room. It left a note in Sirius' hands and took off.

I didn't pay much attention to it; at least not until he climbed up the stairs and shut himself in James' bedroom.

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><p><strong>AN: **Hi guys! First I'd like to thank hellcswettie on tumblr for reviewing my Quidditch scene! Somewhere in there is a hint regarding the parents of one of the canon characters on the series! Do you think you can find it?

Hope you enjoyed this one!

Reviews are 98% of the Earth's oxygen.

Yours,

Adriana.


	8. Of Wolfsbane and Friends

**A/N:** Hello guys! Sorry it took me soooooo long to update this! It was midterms week and I had a bunch to do! The chapter was actually ready to post on Friday, but for some reason the system was down, and wouldn't let me access my account! Luckily, all is sorted now!

Also, huuuuuge thank you to ** hermionejeangrr on tumblr - liquidlckk her on !** - for beta-reading my story from now on. Honestly, she is fantastic!

And thank _you_ for all the positive reviews! I love hearing from you guys! Now, without furter a-do, let's get on with the chapter, shall we?

Disclaimer: Not Jo, once more. Therefore, these characters and world are not mine, I'm simply borrowing them.

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><p>Everybody was quiet for a little while, but once the shock had worn off, they all started to enjoy themselves again. Well, the remaining Marauders and I were all concerned, and curious, as to why Sirius was so angsty, especially after his team just won a game against Slytherin.<p>

"We should go check on him." James was positively freaked out. "We should go and talk to him, why are we still here?" He was rambling and pacing, his hair even messier than usual.

Remus and Peter, perceptive as they were, were much calmer than James. They knew Sirius needed some time alone when he was upset. I knew it too, and being Sirius' best friend, I knew James also understood. However, I knew how temperamental James was, and how panicked he could get if he saw someone he loved hurt or concerned.

"Let him cool off a bit, Prongs," Remus said, mussing his hair.

"No! We should be there with him!" He grimaced, and his voice was a little higher than normal, probably due to the panicked state he found himself in. "That's it, I'm coming up…"

"NO!" The three of them looked at me, and rightfully so. I'd been quiet the whole time, but I knew Sirius wouldn't want a mindless James to barge in, especially since he was upset himself. "I'll go. You stay here and enjoy your party. _No buts_," I said, as soon as I noticed James opening his mouth to argue.

I climbed the stairs to the Head Boy's dormitory and knocked on the wooden door.

"Go. Away." Sirius said. His voice was muffled by what sounded like a pillow. If pillows could make any sound, that is. Oh, James's rambling habits were rubbing off on me.

"It's me," I told him, with the calmest voice I could gather. Then I asked him if he would please unlock the door and let me in.

Sirius Black did as I requested, and lay down on James's bed again. I'd never been up to his room before, but it wasn't very different to mine. In fact, they looked like mirror images of each other. I hadn't known what to expect; whether it would be completely messy, or whether he was a neat freak. I'd stopped – well, I had tried to stop, at least – noticing these things when James and I had not been on speaking terms.

His room was tidy, for the most part. Only a few articles of clothing were on the floor, and a couple of books were sitting on his desk – the hair of his dormitory, if you will.

"What do you want?" Sirius grunted at me. "Want to ask me what's wrong? I've got three of those downstairs," he sneered.

"Actually, no," I said. I jumped on James' bed and sat against the headboard of his four-poster. "In fact, I _know_ what's wrong." I smirked at him, even though he couldn't see me. "Now… if you could please stop inhaling that pillow, thank you very much."

Sirius lifted his head, and his eyebrows. "What do I have then? Tell me, Doctor Lily." He almost grinned.

"It's about Regulus, isn't it?" His face falling again was the only confirmation I needed. He didn't respond right away; instead, I heard him mutter something along the lines of '_perceptive little shit'_.

"Tell me about it, then." I frowned.

"The stupid git is joining the Death Eaters," he mumbled.

"What? How do you know?" To be quite honest, I wasn't that surprised; at least not with the crowd he had been hanging around with lately – Mulciber, Avery and those sorts.

"Well, for starters, the Dark Mark on his arm is quite telling, isn't it?" Sirius snorted. I was appalled; couldn't believe Regulus was now branded. Yes, Voldemort _– You-Know-Who was the biggest piece of bullshit I'd ever heard _– was recruiting, but I didn't think he'd already have fifteen year-olds on his ranks.

"How did you find out?" Now I was shocked. I think deep down, I had hoped that he would wake up, walk out on the idea. But then, I had hoped the same thing for Severus, and look how that turned out – he'd probably been a part of the attacks going on in Muggle London this summer.

"Well, he came up to our locker room - just to say stuff like _'Nice game, Gryffindor', _you know? Just trying to get to me. I saw it when he was leaving. I tried confronting him about it, but he just left. The note I got was a confirmation from him."

"Oh, Sirius… You shouldn't be as shocked, you know?" I couldn't believe the words pouring out of my mouth.

"Yeah, well…" He threaded his fingers through his black, shiny hair. "I still hoped he'd see reason, you know? Before it was too late."

"Yeah, I know what that feels like." I slid down and ended up lying next to him. "I know what Petunia is made of, but sometimes her comments still get to me, which is completely insane."

"Should I be feeling like this, Lily? I hate it." Sirius told me.

"He's your brother."

"Oh, Evans." He closed his grey eyes. "Mum and Dad must be so proud," Sirius snickered.

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><p>After reminiscing over certain moments involving family issues and annoying siblings, neither of us felt in the mood to come down and enjoy the party, so we just decided to stay holed up in the Head Boy's bedroom. We spent the whole time talking, reliving our worst and best memories, talking more openly than we had in a while.<p>

"Do you remember" I laughed at him. "That time you hexed Prongs into the Black Lake?" Sirius wiped his eyes. "I don't think I've ever seen you so furious!" I remembered.

"If you bring up my crazy bedhead, I am going to hex you."

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><p>It was two a.m. by the time I stepped out of James' room and let Sirius sleep soundly on my new friend's bed.<p>

As I descended into the Common Room, ready to go up to my own dormitory and sleep for the few hours I had left, I found none other than James Potter napping on the couch. His dark hair was tousled and he was curled around a long, scarlet pillow. It was actually quite adorable.

I walked over to him and lightly shook his frame. He stirred a little, and then turned around, away from me, as if it hadn't been more than a dream.

"James? Hey, James!" I whispered. As a response, James mumbled some incoherent words and rolled over, falling square on the tapestry. Immediately, I started to laugh. Like, really laugh.

"Ow! Bloody ow!" he screeched at me, as he lifted his head and finally took in the whole ordeal. "What the hell was that for?!" James quickly stood up and brushed the wrinkles in his trousers.

"You were going to be sore in the morning if you slept there all night." I smirked at him. His reaction was one of the most amusing pictures I had ever seen in my whole seventeen years of walking this Earth. "Besides, it was fun to wake you up. Your wife is sleeping upstairs." I winked at James's appalled figure and climbed up the stairs to my bedroom.

I closed the tall, wooden door, and leaned against it for a while, before slowly descending to the bedroom floor. It was cold, and sort of clammy, but I welcomed the sensation. Now that I had seen James, I didn't know if I would manage to sleep at all.

Silently, I walked over to the window, and closed the draped curtains. I casted a quick cooling charm on the room- _when had it gotten so hot?_ I thought – and changed into my pyjamas. I looked around, and spotted the forgotten wool scarf. I reached for it. It was warm, incredibly warm. I couldn't pinpoint its exact scent – sort of like the woods, but warm and comforting. It smelled like James, which made perfect sense, as it was his scarf and not mine. I scolded myself for rambling.

I covered myself with a green blanket that my grandmother had knitted me once, and took an empty journal out of my nightstand drawer. I'd never been one to keep a diary, but I did keep a kind of note journal. It was red and tiny, and it was where I kept the loose pieces of parchment that we used to trade notes in class.

I reread some of my old notes with my friends, and felt my eyes tiring. "Nox."

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><p>For some reason, I woke up feeling fresh and invigorated, taking into account the fact that I'd slept for less than five hours. When I was at home, during vacation, I was a complete slob. However, here at Hogwarts, I had a schedule, and a reputation to uphold. I woke up at seven p.m. every morning; then I got ready and walked down to breakfast. My first meal of the day usually consisted of waffles or fried bacon. I didn't appreciate change, so I always maintained the same routine.<p>

"Morning, Lils." Sirius winked at me. "It was lovely waking up to Prongs, so thanks for that." He sat down next to me at the breakfast table and reached for some scrambled eggs.

I laughed. "Good morning, Sirius." Alice and Marlene were across the table, and were excitedly talking about something. "Marls, 'Lice?" I called.

"Yeah?"

"Still up for our lunchtime picnic?" It was a tradition of ours. At least once every term, we'd have a nice picnic under the Beech Tree, and we would talk about everything. I smiled fondly at the memories.

"Sure! I'll have to swing by the kitchens to get our sandwiches." Alice told me with a smile. "We have so much to talk about!" she chirped.

"I haven't hung out with you guys for so long now," I added, tucking a strand of red hair behind my ear.

"Yeah, now that you and James get along again, Mrs Longbottom and I never see you anymore," she snorted. "Are we not good enough for you anymore, Lils?" she asked me, laughing.

Sirius Black threw an arm over my shoulders. "Well, you know the drill, McKinnon." He smirked and then looked over at me. "Once you go Black, you never go back."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, Padfoot," Peter, who'd just arrived to the Great Hall, sniggered. "You do realise you look like a sheep that's taking a crap most of the time, yeah?" He smiled at us. "Good morning, ladies."

Sirius crossed his arms tightly. "You only say that because you're jealous that you haven't had a piece of this." He motioned towards his body. "Oh, Lils, I ought to return that Beatles record you lent to the party last night."

"Oh, it's alright." I smiled. I leaned into Sirius and whispered in his ear. "Are you feeling better?"

"Definitely." He smiled warmly at me, and then rubbed my head affectionately.

"Stop it!" I laughed, whilst trying to fix my mop of red hair. "Now it's all frizzy. God, Sirius, you're such a dog."

Sirius nearly spit out his drink and I frowned. I was usually pretty witty, but I couldn't understand what humour Sirius would find on my sentence. I guessed it would be a healthier option to not even attempt to understand what went through Sirius Black's mind; one would go mental.

I stepped off from the bench along with Marlene and Alice and we directed ourselves to the dungeons, for it was Monday and we were going to have Potions. I wondered where James was; I hadn't seen him at breakfast, and Quidditch practice was unthinkable because I'd just been with Sirius.

Now that I thought about it, Remus wasn't there either. And the full moon was only next week; he couldn't be that sick already, could he?

I brushed it off and tried to focus on the conversation.

"What are we talking about again?" I asked, following Marlene.

"Bell's incredible snogging abilities, or so it seems," Alice answered. Her lanky blonde hair was secured tightly on a side braid and she wasn't wearing her neck tie.

"Oh, do tell." I turned to Marlene. "Does the boy own up to his reputation?" Lucas Bell was dreamy. Unfortunately, because of that, the Ravenclaw was also very _famous_ amongst the female population of Hogwarts, and some of the male population too. He was the kind of boy you'd turn gay for. Not that I had anything against gay people, mind you. One of my very good friends back home, Emmeline, was bisexual and I loved her just the same. I made a mental note to write to her later today.

"Oh, does he now?" she told us cryptically. Her eyes weren't exactly the clearest, but at least the bird was awake. Marlene had quite the habit of tiring herself out at Quidditch parties, and other parties as well.

We laughed at her thoughtful expression – which was accompanied by a cheeky smirk, I didn't know how – and strolled down the corridors to class.

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><p>Now inside the classroom, it was warmer – despite being in the dungeons, the heat radiating from the two brews present on Professor Slughorn's desk filled up the place – and I took off my cloak. I didn't like brewing with my cloak on, because, comfortable as it was, it didn't give me the much needed room for arm movement.<p>

"Good morning, class," Professor Slughorn greeted us. His hair was already thin on top, and was getting thinner and thinner with each passing term. "Today we will be discussing two very curious everyone was quiet.

James Potter and Remus Lupin staggered in. "Sorry we're late, Professor." Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Mulciber casting a tripping jinx- so that explained the ungraceful entrance. I couldn't help the twitching of the corners of my mouth. It was so darn funny!

"It's alright, it's alright." He motioned them in. "Form pairs, now, will you?"

Alice was with Marlene, and Sirius had partnered with Peter. I was expecting James to partner with Remus, so I was surprised to see him sitting next to me. Ever since my fall out with Severus, my Potions partners were never constant, so I had asked for the permission of Professor Slughorn to brew alone. Remus sat down near Dorcas, and the Potions Master resumed his speech.

"Today we will be studying Veritaserum and Wolfsbane." I heard some quiet laughter, but I was surprised to see it hadn't come from any of the Marauders. In fact, as soon as I noticed that the sound had come from Snape's mouth, I shot him a death glare.

When we were friends, he'd always had these theories about Remus, and how his lycanthropy would come back to bite us – I laughed internally at my pun.

The teacher didn't allow us to prepare Veritaserum - it was too great of a risk to allow students near that particular brew - but we worked on the Wolfsbane concoction.

I was very happy to have met Damocles, its inventor, at one of Slughorn's Slug Club dinners. It had turned out that Damocles had been a student of his, and I was very impressed by its effects; if brewed correctly, it helped werewolves keeping a clear human mind during the transformation. However, it was very dangerous, and as of yet it hadn't been commercialized because when poorly concocted, aconite was a very poisonous substance.

"Please, keep in mind that I doubt most of you can brew it correctly, because it is still facing experimentation and what not. Get to work then."

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><p>Surprisingly enough, James was actually a very helpful partner. He never took a particular interest in Potions – perhaps because it was in the dungeons, and we had always taken the class with the Slytherins. However, he excelled at all other classes, especially Transfiguration.<p>

As we finished our project and I got up to leave the classroom, I noticed Remus waiting behind. I wondered why for just a tad too long, and this caused all my classmates to leave without me, except for Mulciber and Avery, who soon had me cornered in an empty corridor.

"Hello, Mudblood," Mulciber sneered.

"Hello, coward." The two Slytherins balled their fists. It was two against one, and from what I knew about magic, attacking first would often give you the upper hand.

"Conjuctivitus! Furnunculus!" I fled, leaving Avery partially blinded and Mulciber with a face covered in boils. It was a bit cowardly perhaps to leave the duel so early on, but I wasn't stupid. Being a Muggleborn surrounded by Death Eaters and picking fights with them wasn't exactly the smartest choice.

I encountered Remus – he was only now leaving the dungeons – and asked him why he'd stayed behind.

"Well, since the faculty know about my condition, Slughorn just asked me if I wanted to try the Wolfsbane Potion. And as the full moon's nearly a week from now, I need to start taking the potion if I want it to work. He warned me about the fact that it was still an experiment, more than once, but I figured, even if it didn't work, it wouldn't do any harm now, would it?"

"No, I guess not," I told him, as we both walked to the Prefect meeting that would take place in ten minutes.

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><p><strong>AN:** Did you guys like it? What are your thoughts!? None of you guessed the hidden clue in the last chapter. If you haven't guessed, feel free to re-read it and try to find out! Hopefully the next chapter will be up in less than 2 weeks!

Reviews make the Jily Fairies sing.

Yours,

Adriana


	9. Of Meetings and Mentours

**A/N: **First of all, let me say how terribly sorry I am that it has taken me over three weeks to upload a new chapter! I am extremely sad that it has taken me so long, but my beta reader was having a bit of a busy and complicated time, and it is crucial to me that she gets back on track. Her hapiness and safety are so much higher on my priority list... But she finished it anyway, and with the amount of mistakes I make, it is crucial that she helps me. So, I couldn't have done this without her, thank you Charlotte!

I noticed I didn't get many reviews last chapter, only one or two I believe. Now, of course, you don't need to do so, but if I made some mistake or there is something you are not happy with, please, don't hesitate in telling me so!

Do you think I should start recommending some songs to go along with the characters? Like, what songs I listened to the most while writing it? Let me know!

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, we all know I am not JK. These characters don't belong to me, at all. Sadly.

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><p>James was already inside, preparing the room for the meeting, and pretty soon every prefect started to enter the room. At precisely eleven thirty, we started our speeches.<p>

"Due to the recent attacks, Dumbledore wants to start assigning guardians for the younger students, and that job is ours," James told the group.

"Every single one of you, along with your rounds partner, will have one house in each year to mentor," I explained. "For example, James and I will deal with the first years, but you will deal with the second, third and fourth years, preferably the ones that don't belong to your house.

"Before James gives out the lists of the prefects and their assigned group, I want to warn you that this mentoring task is a very important one. It is your job to answer any questions they may have, and to make them feel safe inside these walls. Whatever your… _policies_ are," I eyed Severus warily, "on Voldemort's beliefs, you are not to force them on your pupils."

James distributed the lists, and I scanned the students' faces for reactions.

_"__Ernie Grimmet and Rebecca Hollis - Ravenclaw Second Years_

_Hannah Baker and Remus Lupin – Slytherin Second Years_

_Katie Mina and Adam Groven - Hufflepuff Second Years_

_Andy Sheppley and Sean Hawking - Gryffindor Second Years_

_Toby Ross and Mary McDonald - Ravenclaw Third Years_

_Sam Keating and Kingsley Higgs - Slytherin Third Years_

_Daisy Sutton and Ryan Kessler – Hufflepuff Third Years_

_Thomas Kevin and Marina Brown - Gryffindor Third Years_

_Julie Lima and Bert Lee - Ravenclaw Fourth Years_

_Chris Sterling and Karen Davies - Slytherin Fourth Years_

_Lisa Alton and Michael Quintin - Hufflepuff Fourth Years_

_Lucas Bell and Severus Snape - Gryfffindor Fourth Years"_

"Lily?" A fifth year Slytherin that went by the name of Sharon Rank raised her hand. "My name isn't here."

James spoke up. "Yeah, we know, but don't worry! You'll be helping me and Lily dealing with the First Years instead." He winked at her.

The truth was that Sharon's father had just passed away, and we didn't want to overstretch her with prefect duties. It's not that we didn't think she could handle it, but being in Slytherin, many of her housemates were pressuring her to join those supporting the Death Eaters – whom, so far, she had been gracefully resisting – and the Headmaster didn't want her to break. "Sharon is a lovely girl, and it would be a shame if she were to cave in a moment of weakness," Dumbledore had said to them.

"Anyone have any questions?" I asked the group. No one stepped forward. "Alright, but if dealing with the students gets a little out of hand, or you don't know how to help them, please make sure they know they can come to me, James, or Sharon whenever they may need."

"Have a nice lunch, everyone!" James waved them off.

After the Prefect meeting, I swung by the kitchens to grab some food for the picnic – Alice didn't have a free period, so I went on her behalf. Ham and cheese sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, and three bottles of Butterbeer.

I walked to the greenhouses, because both Alice and Marlene were still taking Herbology. I could see why Marlene was, but Alice wanted to be an Auror, not a Healer or Herbologist. However, I guess being able to recognize certain plants and poisons could be useful on missions.

It was unusually warm outside for November. The Whomping Willow still had some of its leaves, even though most of them had already fallen and been scattered by the wind. The class had just ended and the students were pouring out of the Greenhouses like owls out of a pet shop. I never understood why the Herbology classes always had so many students in at the same time.

"Hey." I greeted them with a smile. "I got the food." I lifted up the basket the house elves had given to me.

"Thanks, Lil." Alice locked arms with me and Marlene and we directed ourselves to the beech tree.

As we sat down and ate our food, although it was more like devouring on my part, I asked them about Frank and Lucas.

"Well, to be honest, Frank is amazing! He makes me feel so happy, Lily…" She had a dreamy look in her eye and was positively glowing. "In fact, I think I'm going to spend Christmas at his mum's."

"What?!" Marlene exclaimed, laughing. "You've been holding out on me!"

"Oh shush, McKinnon," I told her, grinning. "'Lice must've wanted to tell us both at the same time. How about Bell? How's that going for you?"

"He is kind of a douche, but Merlin, is he a good snogger! We just snog. It's nice, simple. I can't hold a conversation with him though…" Marlene nodded to herself.

"Hey, Mar, what does he think of all this pureblood rubbish?"

"I don't think he supports it, but I haven't discussed it all that much with him, y'know? We don't exactly sit and chat, if you know what I mean…" She attempted to raise her eyebrows in a seductive manner, unsuccessfully.

"Marlene, gross!" I scolded. Alice was flushing a bright red similar to my hair colour. "I suppose you and Frank don't sit and chat either, do you?" I smirked at her.

"But why do you ask?" Marlene questioned me.

"Well, you know that mentoring business I discussed with you earlier? Right after Dumbledore called me and James to his office?" She nodded in response. "Well, he's partners with Severus. I mean, James and I took care to place those types with Gryffindors, fourth years actually, but I want to make sure that if Severus starts trying to spread the whole 'Mudblood trend' around our House, Bell will stop it, or try to at least."

Marlene assured me she would try to talk to Lucas about it. From then on the conversation went by smoothly. We talked about everything: about current relationships – or in my case, the lack of one – and about Christmas plans. The holidays were just around the corner, and since Marlene was going to spend them with her sister, and Alice at Frank's, we decided to organize a secret night time trip into Hogsmeade.

I made a mental note to ask Sirius for the Map and James's cloak. If we wanted to sneak out, we were going to do it Marauders Style – which basically meant 'don't get caught'.

As for me, this Christmas I was going to stay in the castle. It was my last year at Hogwarts, and I wanted to enjoy the Feast and the decorations for a final time. Besides, coming home to Mum and Dad would be wonderful, but the prospect of spending my holidays with Petunia wasn't exactly the definition of fun. Besides, I'd already talked to Mum about it, and I would be home for the Easter weekend. When I asked her if Sirius and James could come too, the Potters having passed away and all, she loved the idea.

"How's your sister, Marlene?" Alice asked. "Did she have the baby already?"

"Nah, it's due in February, I think." She shrugged half-heartedly.

"It's due?" I asked her. "What, is the baby an essay?" I playfully shoved her, which caused her to fall, and me and Alice to laugh like mad.

"Goddamn it, it's just a baby, calm yourselves," Marlene said, while trying to shake the excess grass and leaves off her robes. "She doesn't want to know if it's a boy or a girl. So, it's an 'it'. What's the time, by the way?"

Alice responded, a wave of shock flashing through her eyes. "Is it two o'clock already? I should get going then!" She got up to leave, de-wrinkling her robes. "You two are bloody lucky, did you know that? Why do I even take Divination?"

"Hey, do you still want to go over that Potions assignment?" I asked Marlene.

"Yeah, sure. Mind doing it here, though? The weather is so nice today."

"Sure."

We sat down for a few more hours, and soon we had to leave to get ready for supper. It was simply too dark to be outside any longer, and the curfew policies were very strict. I bid Marlene goodbye; she was going to have dinner at the Ravenclaw table. If she and Bell couldn't hold a conversation, I didn't know how she would manage, no matter how good the snogging was, but I guess she could try to talk to him about Snape.

I climbed the stairs to my dormitory, and changed into some more comfortable clothes. I stripped off my skirt and switched it for some black trousers, tie hanging loosely around my neck, and put my hair up into a ponytail.

"James!" The boy turned around. His hair was messy, his glasses were crooked, and he was wearing his usual smirk. "Save me a seat, will you?"

"Sure thing, Evans. Have you seen Sirius, by the way? The boys and I have been looking everywhere for him."

"Nah, have you tried the map?" I felt slightly anxious. I was a worrier, and I knew Sirius tended to act a bit reckless sometimes.

"We had a look, but he wasn't anywhere. And he isn't in the Room of Requirement either."

That's when I remembered. As Marlene and I were walking back to the castle, we had seen Avery and Regulus strolling through the corridors, whispering.

"Come with me. I know where he is."

We walked to the dungeons. Heck, we ran there. The walls were a blur, the people's faces unidentifiable. All we wanted was to find him, before he did something he would regret.

James picked up his mirror and shouted into it. "Padfoot? Sirius! SIRIUS BLACK!"

James rarely screamed. When he was upset, he gave people the silence treatment, ignored them. He only screamed when he was truly, completely terrified. And I must say, at that moment, I too was terrified for Sirius. I mean, the poor bloke had just discovered that his younger brother was a branded Death Eater!

Sirius, however, never answered the mirror. James and I searched the dungeons and the castle for hours, and never found him.

"James, we need to go on patrols," I reminded him. "We can use them to look for Sirius some more. I'm sure he is alright. He's probably just had a run-in with Regulus and lost his temper… Just give him some time, will you?"

"Fine. Fine, I just - For Merlin's sake…" He ran his fingers through his hair. What I had always perceived as a flirting technique, was simply a nervous habit, I realised.

"If we don't find him by the end of our rounds, we'll go to McGonagall, okay?" I compromised.

* * *

><p>To be honest, patrols were awful. James was silent and for some reason, all I wanted to do was talk it out. James' habit of rambling when he was nervous was starting to rub off on me.<p>

"I talked to Mum," I informed James. The Gryffindor lifted his head in confusion. "About Easter, I mean."

"What about it?" His voice was hoarse from shouting and he had dark shadows under his eyes. I had a feeling he wouldn't be sleeping tonight, even if we found Sirius.

"Well, since I'm spending Christmas hols here-"

"You are?" he interrupted.

"Yeah, now let me finish, will you?" I shoved him. "It's my last Christmas here, so… Anyway, I spoke to Mum about it, and we decided you and Sirius are to come home with me over Easter." Even if it wasn't their home, I didn't want to press the subject.

"Really, Lily, you don't have to do this. I mean, you've done enough for us already…" I could see his face turn faintly pink in the dim light.

"Potter." I stopped in my tracks and looked up at him defiantly. "It's fine, really. Mum's already met Sirius and she loved him. Plus, you'll be saving me from the tragic fate of socialising with my sister for the weekend."

"Well, if only to save you from the best vacation from your life. I'm sure Petunia's a real charm." James chuckled, which caused me to whack him around the head.

I felt incredibly guilty about it afterwards – and I am sure James did too – but Sirius' whereabouts and safety were starting to seem less serious.

It was when we checked a broom cupboard on the Second Floor that we found him, bleeding and deprived of any colour. He had an enormous gash across his chest.

"Oh my-" James whispered.

"Just levitate him, alright? I know this curse. Levitate him to the hospital wing."

"No… Not there," Sirius' faint voice told us. I didn't feel like retaliating.

"Fine. To the Head Common Room then," I instructed.

The trip to the common room was a difficult one. Even using levitation, Sirius was a teenage boy, and a heavy one at that. Blame Quidditch.

"Sirius, unbutton your shirt."

"I thought Prongs was more your type," he chuckled, promptly starting to cough up blood as a result.

"Oh for fuck's sake, shut up!" I scolded him. It was his bloody fault that he was now coughing up his insides. Sirius did as instructed and I started to whisper the counter curse, various times.

The gash started closing, and the blood evaporated. Suddenly, the colour returned to Sirius's face and he now looked like his old self, like he hadn't just been brutally attacked by Severus. I knew it had been him, because I only knew one curse, and a very dark and dangerous one at that, that could do such damage and it had been Snape who invented it – the Sectumsempra curse.

I quickly retreated to my bedroom, but instead of entering, I leaned on the door frame and looked over at James and Sirius. The latter's body was still sprawled on our couch – when wasn't it? – with James hovering over him. In the quiet of the night, I could hear him inform Sirius about their newly formed Easter plans.

I sat down on my desk, and opened up a piece of parchment. I put some black ink on my quill and began writing.

_Dear Emmeline,_

_How is everything at uni? Things here at Hogwarts are completely insane. At least the Head Boy is competent. You know how scared I was when I received my badge in the summer!_

_I can't believe how much I miss you. But the good news is that I am coming back for the Easter weekend! Do you remember Sirius? I spent the summer before last with him. He and his friend James Potter – the Head Boy – are coming with me for the vacation, so we should all definitely hang out! Are you still seeing that girl Heather? If so, we could all grab dinner together if you'd like that._

_Lots of love,_

_Lily._

Emmeline Vance was the only Muggle friend I had who knew about my life at Hogwarts, magic and all that. We trusted each other; as I was a witch, and she was queer, we were very accepting of each other's secrets. It was the human thing to do! Marlene and Alice had already met her. Last summer we went on a big camping trip to a lake near Marlene's house. It had been one of the best months of my life.

* * *

><p>The next morning was a chilly one. It was getting colder by the minute, and getting out of bed was getting harder with each passing day. Sometimes I felt like giving up on my N.E.W.T.s, and working as a maid if that meant I could sleep some more.<p>

I got up, and made sure to wear an extra camisole under my white button up. I ditched the Gryffindor colours for a cosy scarf, and went down for breakfast.

As usual, I had my glass of chocolate milk, because regular milk tastes awful, and inhaled my pumpkin waffle. None of my friends were at breakfast – James and Sirius had Quidditch practice so Remus, Peter, Alice and Marlene had gone to see them play – so I sat down near Sharon.

"Morning," I greeted her.

"Hey, Lily." Her smile was warm and her uniform was pristine. She had the blue eyes and the blonde hair, but she wasn't conventionally pretty. Her curly, bushy hair covered up most of her face, and she was exceptionally tiny for her age. Her overall image was that of a very shy, vulnerable girl, but to me she seemed very kind-hearted. To be honest, she reminded me a lot of Alice.

"What classes do you have today?" I asked, making polite small talk.

"Oh, I'm taking Care of Magical Creatures," she told me. "I have a double period this morning."

"Really? Have you thought about any particular careers?" I inquired. Suddenly, I had already eaten three waffles and a cauldron cake. It was going to be a long day.

"Yeah, I want to be a magizoologist, do you know? My mum – she's a Muggle – grew up on a farm, so I've been around animals my whole life."

After chatting some more, I bid my goodbyes. I too had a double period to attend – Charms. It was a light class. Well, at least compared to my afternoon slot of Transfiguration.

I walked to the classroom and prepared my supplies; the book was on the table, the wand was in my pocket, and I sat down waiting for the lesson to commence.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **How did you like this chapter? Was it worth all the wait? I can guarantee you, the next won't take me so long! Half of it is already written, and the other half is planned out. However, should there be anything you'd like me to write, just say so, and I will try to include it! For example, I think it was last chapter, a friend of mine dared me to include a crapping sheep on one of the lines, and I did so. I thought it was quite funny actually.

Nevermind my nonsense, **on a very serious note** - Emmeline Vance is a character I intend to work with, she is a very important girl in Lily's life, and because I am straight, I know nothing about bisexuality. Emmeline, however, is bi, and I want to make sure that if any of you lovely readers are too, you don't feel unconfortable with the way I write her. So please, let me know about that.

Reviews are what makes chocolate muffins.

Yours truly,

Adriana


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